A Tale of Three Arcades Part 1: The Arcade

In which I realize that my fondest dream would be to open up a business in that little shop under the stairs.

Years (and years) ago, I visited the 5th Street Arcade during lunch with some people I worked with. It was loud, packed, overwhelming and yet underwhelming at the same time. A lot has changed since then. A few weeks ago, I revisited the arcades on Euclid Ave. And loved it.

Let's start this recap at the turn of the 20th Century. Cleveland had a problem: nobody wants to shop when it's negative thirty-million degrees outside. A couple of area architects, proposed a daring idea: What if there were lots of stores...inside??

The design of the arcade was inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II that had been built a few decades earlier in Italy.

"It doesn't need to be anything too fancy. This looks alright."

Thankfully, they adapted the design to the bone-chilling death wind that blows in off the Lake, so the Cleveland version is warmly ensconced in nondescript brown marble. I will paint a picture with my words because I didn't take a picture of the front of the building and I don't want to steal one from some poor internet person. Imagine an old-fashioned factory with no smoke stacks. The facade is made of red-brown stone and is dominated by a line of gray-framed five-story windows whose mirrored glass glints dully under drizzling clouds. Lower, smaller windows in the facade are made of clear glass but drawn white curtains hide the interior. Rather discreet gold lettering that says, "The Arcade," is affixed right above the entrance.  Two carved golden medallions featuring the faces of The Arcade's original investors flank the gold writing. Runoff under the letters has permanently darkened the stone there. This is how Cleveland does Milan.

But go inside. Inside, it's a different story.

Actually, it's five different stories.

plus there's a bridge!

When the Arcade first opened, there were shops and restaurants all throughout the five stories. Now, the Hyatt Regency is on the top three floors, so you can't climb around up there unless you're a hotel guest doing your laundry.

The Arcade underwent a restoration that ended in 2001, and is stunningly beautiful. The level of detail in the architecture is incredible.

Looking up from the bottom level under the bridge in the previous photo.

The intricacy of the woodwork is astounding, especially since it borders the whole giant space.

My favorite architectural touch are the griffins that breathe fire (or maybe just orange light bulbs)

More than half the griffins had burned out light bulbs, which was a bummer. But I can understand not wanting to get up there to change them.

All in all, the most architecturally spectacular of the arcades was also kind of a let-down, store-wise. Granted, we visited on a Saturday when most things were closed, but at least a third of the first floor storefronts were empty, and even more were vacant downstairs. The utilitarian food court, buried behind the grand staircase, featured only two restaurants with four or more spots shuttered.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you'd like to work in a place that is totally stunning and also totally haunted-seeming, there's space available!