Cleveland Arcade, Cleveland (must see)

The Cleveland Arcade, located in downtown Cleveland, is a remarkable Victorian-era structure that stands as a testament to the city’s architectural heritage. Completed in 1890, the Arcade was officially opened on Memorial Day, May 30, 1890. It is recognized as one of the earliest indoor shopping arcades in the United States and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1975.

The Cleveland Arcade, designed by John Eisenmann and George H. Smith, was inspired by Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It features two nine-story office buildings linked by a five-story iron-and-glass arcade, with a striking 100-foot-high skylight made of 1,800 glass panes. This blend of lighted court and shopping street makes it a rare gem among U.S. arcades.

The Arcade’s architecture is characterized by its ornate interior and grand scale, with four levels of balconies encircling a 300-foot-long covered light court. The building’s original Hummelstown brownstone, Richardsonian Romanesque-style arched entrance on Superior Avenue remains intact, while the Euclid Avenue entrance underwent significant remodeling in 1939 by the firm Walker and Weeks.

The arcade itself is not aligned in a straight path; rather, it follows a 23-degree angle off the Euclid entrance, leading to a rotunda at the southern end of the structure. The verticality of the interior columns, combined with the immense glass skylight, creates a spacious and luminous environment that evokes a sense of grandeur.

In 2001, the Hyatt corporation redeveloped the Cleveland Arcade, transforming it into the city’s first Hyatt Regency hotel. The hotel now occupies the two office towers and the top three floors of the atrium area, while the two lower floors remain open to the public and house retail merchants and a food court. This redevelopment preserved the historical essence of the Arcade, including the replacement of the iconic skylight.

The Cleveland Arcade not only serves as a beautiful example of late 19th-century architecture but also continues to be a vibrant part of Cleveland’s downtown landscape, blending historical charm with modern utility. Its design even inspired the Peachtree Arcade in Atlanta, constructed in the 1910s, reflecting the influence and reach of this iconic Cleveland landmark.