Westminster Arcade

The Arcade
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
File:Westminsterarcade.JPG
Location	130 Westminster Street and 65 Weybosset Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates
Built	1828
Architect	Russell Warren; Tallman & Bucklin
Architectural style	Greek Revival
Part of	Customhouse Historic District (#75000058)
NRHP Reference #	71000029
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 06, 1971
Designated NHL	May 11, 1976
Designated CP	February 20, 1975

The Westminster Arcade, also known as the Providence Arcade, Arcade Providence, or The Arcade, is a historic shopping center at 130 Westminster Street and 65 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Built in 1828, it is notable as the first enclosed shopping mall in the United States. Lauded as fine example of commercial Greek Revival architecture, it served as a shopping center for many years before falling into decline in the late 20th century. It has since been closed for renovation and rehabilitation several times, and most recently reopened its doors in October 2013 as a residential and commercial mixed-use building. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

History

The Arcade was developed as a commercial business venture by Cyrus Butler. Although its preliminary design called for only two floors of shops, a third floor was added to the plans before construction began. The building, designed by Russell Warren and Tallman & Bucklin, called for an arcaded lane of shops, with skylights in the roof providing illumination, in emulation to similar structures then found in some European cities. Construction of the mall roughly followed the original plan, but the need for a vestibule and stairway on the Weybosset Street side of the building to provide access to the third floor necessitated some hasty alterations which were not well-constructed and required repairs in the 1940s.

The building served as a shopping center well into the 20th century. After falling into disrepair, it was rehabilitated by architects Irving B. Haynes & Associates and Gilbane Properties, and reopened in 1980. It closed again in 2008 for renovations, and reopened in October 2013 as a mixed-use commercial and residential "micro-loft" space.

The Arcade was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

Description

The Arcade is a long, narrow building extending between Westminster and Weybosset Streets, north of Orange Street in downtown Providence. The two street-facing sides consist of Greek temple fronts, with six massive Ionic columns 45 feet (14 m) high. On the Westminster Street side, the columns are topped by a triangular pediment, while that on the Weybosset Street side has a simple block-and panel railing above a simple entablature. Behind these fronts are open vestibule areas with stairs leading to the upper levels; those leading to the third level are somewhat crowded beneath the roofline, particularly on the Weybosset Street side, where the vestibule was a late addition occasioned by the decision to add a third floor. The long sides of the building are relatively unadorned, as it was expected by the architects that buildings would eventually be built abutting them.

The interior consists of a main avenue 13 feet (4.0 m) on the ground floor, above which the second and third floor lanes are protected by richly decorated cast iron railings capped in mahogany. The skylit roof extends the length of the building, its ridgeline aligned at the Westminster end with the top of the triangular pediment. Emphasis in all of the building's construction was on the use of fireproof materials: granite, brick, and cast iron are all used, and the roof was made of tin.

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island

External links

Interior as seen from the second floor (2005)

• Arcade Providence - official site
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. RI-206, "The Arcade, 130 Westminster Street, Providence, Providence County, RI", 2 photos, 5 data pages