I'm dedicating this photo-thread to John D. Rockefeller, Marcus Hanna, and Charles Brush. These 3 men financed the Arcade's construction in 1890 at a cost of $867,000.
"With an international reputation as one of the finest buildings of its type, The Arcade has attracted tourists and Clevelanders alike to its stunning retail concourse since opening in May of 1890 the first large scale indoor shopping mall in the United States and first skyscraper in Cleveland. Historically, an arcade is a covered passageway lined with shops creating a competitive advantage for small and midsized retailers by providing a variety of shops, services and eateries all under one roof! The Arcade was the first building in Cleveland and ninth in the U.S. to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places."
Wikipedia: The Arcade was built in 1890 by Detroit Bridge Co., run by Stephen V. Harkness. It is a unique architectural treasure of 19th century urban America. Designed by John Eisenmann, the Arcade is one of the few remaining arcades of its kind in the United States. Modeled after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II located in Milan, the Arcade comprises two nine-story towers with a skylight, 100 feet (30 m) high, made of 1,800 panes of glass spanning over 300 feet (91 m). The construction was financed by John D. Rockefeller, Marcus Hanna, Charles F. Brush and several other wealthy Clevelanders of the day.
The Arcade is a cross between a lighted court and a commercial shopping street. The building is a complex of three structures: two nine-story office buildings facing out to Euclid and Superior Avenues, connected via the five-story iron-and-glass enclosed arcade. The Richardsonian arched entrance along Superior Avenue is original, but the Euclid Avenue front was remodeled in 1939 by the firm of Walker and Weeks. The level of the Superior Avenue entrance is about 12 feet (3.7 m) lower than the Euclid entrance, so that there are two bottom arcade floors, joined by staircases at each end. Since Euclid and Superior avenues are not parallel, a passage leads, at a 23-degree angle, off the Euclid entrance to a rotunda at the southern end of the Arcade.The arcade itself is a 300-foot (91 m)-long covered light court, ringed by four levels of balconies, which step back above the Euclid Avenue level. The vertical lines of the columns, rising nearly 100 feet (33 m) to the glass roof, create a spacious domed interior.
In 2001, the Hyatt corporation redeveloped the Arcade into Cleveland's first Hyatt Regency hotel. The Hyatt Regency occupies the two towers and the top three floors of the atrium area. The two lower floors of the atrium area remain open to the public with retail merchants and a food court. In addition, the Hyatt's lobby and offices are located near the Superior Avenue entrance. That same year, the skylight was also replaced.
View attachment 41537
Over the next day or two, I'll add more photos. Different angles, crops, and treatments. Enjoy this great architectural masterpiece.
"With an international reputation as one of the finest buildings of its type, The Arcade has attracted tourists and Clevelanders alike to its stunning retail concourse since opening in May of 1890 the first large scale indoor shopping mall in the United States and first skyscraper in Cleveland. Historically, an arcade is a covered passageway lined with shops creating a competitive advantage for small and midsized retailers by providing a variety of shops, services and eateries all under one roof! The Arcade was the first building in Cleveland and ninth in the U.S. to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places."
Wikipedia: The Arcade was built in 1890 by Detroit Bridge Co., run by Stephen V. Harkness. It is a unique architectural treasure of 19th century urban America. Designed by John Eisenmann, the Arcade is one of the few remaining arcades of its kind in the United States. Modeled after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II located in Milan, the Arcade comprises two nine-story towers with a skylight, 100 feet (30 m) high, made of 1,800 panes of glass spanning over 300 feet (91 m). The construction was financed by John D. Rockefeller, Marcus Hanna, Charles F. Brush and several other wealthy Clevelanders of the day.
The Arcade is a cross between a lighted court and a commercial shopping street. The building is a complex of three structures: two nine-story office buildings facing out to Euclid and Superior Avenues, connected via the five-story iron-and-glass enclosed arcade. The Richardsonian arched entrance along Superior Avenue is original, but the Euclid Avenue front was remodeled in 1939 by the firm of Walker and Weeks. The level of the Superior Avenue entrance is about 12 feet (3.7 m) lower than the Euclid entrance, so that there are two bottom arcade floors, joined by staircases at each end. Since Euclid and Superior avenues are not parallel, a passage leads, at a 23-degree angle, off the Euclid entrance to a rotunda at the southern end of the Arcade.The arcade itself is a 300-foot (91 m)-long covered light court, ringed by four levels of balconies, which step back above the Euclid Avenue level. The vertical lines of the columns, rising nearly 100 feet (33 m) to the glass roof, create a spacious domed interior.
In 2001, the Hyatt corporation redeveloped the Arcade into Cleveland's first Hyatt Regency hotel. The Hyatt Regency occupies the two towers and the top three floors of the atrium area. The two lower floors of the atrium area remain open to the public with retail merchants and a food court. In addition, the Hyatt's lobby and offices are located near the Superior Avenue entrance. That same year, the skylight was also replaced.
View attachment 41537
Over the next day or two, I'll add more photos. Different angles, crops, and treatments. Enjoy this great architectural masterpiece.
