It was called Cleveland's Crystal Palace when it opened in 1890. As one of America's first indoor shopping centers, the Arcade was unlike anything ever seen in that area of the country. It didn't come cheap either. The $875,000 price tag was funded by some of the country's best known millionaires including John D. Rockefeller and Steven V. Harkness.
The tract of land was chosen specifically to create an indoor commercial passageway between two of the city's most important thoroughfares - Euclid and Superior.
Today, it's home to boutique shops, a luxury spa, restaurants, an art gallery and the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
It eventually fell into disrepair and there was fear that the wrecking ball would be near. Luckily, this gorgeous landmark lived to see another century when a $60 million renovation was completed in 2001, securing its place in Cleveland architectural history hopefully for many centuries to come.
We visited early Saturday morning, hoping to catch it before it got busy. I'm glad we did because we mostly had it to ourselves to roam around and explore the beauty of it all. It was peaceful and looking up at the glass ceiling was awe inspiring.
I had the feeling that if I turned my head quickly enough I might catch a glimpse of a Victorian couple - him in a seersucker suit and her in a long white dress with puffy sleeves - strolling from one shop to the next. I never did see them but I bet they were near.
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