Guide to The Arcade in Cleveland, Ohio

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Updated on 06/26/19

The Cleveland Arcade, decorated for Christmas — Erik Drost / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

The Arcade, located between Superior and Euclid Avenues in downtown Cleveland, is one of America's first indoor shopping malls and Cleveland's first skyscraper. Built in 1890, the magnificent building consists of two 9-story towers, connected by a glass and metal, 5-story atrium. Today, the building houses a Hyatt Hotel, retail shops, a number of restaurants and coffee shops and a food court.

History

The Arcade was designed by Cleveland architect, John Eisenmann, who also designed the first building at (what would become) Case Western Reserve University as well as Southwest General Hospital. The Arcade project, completed in 1890, cost $867,000 and was financed by the leading industrialists of the day: John D Rockefeller, Marcus Hanna, and Charles Brush.

The structure, said to be modeled after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan Italy, was the first Cleveland building to be added to the National Register of Historic Places (in 1975). The Arcade is considered to be one of the first indoor shopping malls in the United States.

The Structure

The Arcade runs the length of the block between Euclid Avenue and Superior Avenue. The building consists of two brick, 9-story towers—one at either end—and a 5-story glass and metal atrium with a 100 foot skylight ceiling connecting the two. The atrium is decorated with extensive metalwork and the atrium's top floor features a row of gargoyles that gaze down on shoppers.

The Arcade Today

The Arcade today is home to the Hyatt Regency Cleveland, which occupies the two towers and the top two floors of the atrium. The hotel registration desk, restaurant, and lobby are reached from the Superior Avenue entrance. The lower two floors of the Arcade house retail shops, restaurants, and a food court. The cafe tables along the balconies of the Arcade are ideal places to relax after a little downtown shopping.