ART & ART DECO CLEVELAND 2006
September 13-17, 2006

The Arcade (1890)

400 Euclid Avenue. George H. Smith, Architect. John Eisenmann, Engineer.

The Arcade is unique in the world, and among the most breathtaking interiors in Cleveland. It's a Victorian architectural confection, a 300 foot long shopping and office arcade with a glass roof — 100 feet overhead at the highest point. There are five levels of brass, marble, and ironwork — notice how the ornamentation becomes simpler as one ascends each level.

The Arcade is situated between Euclid Avenue and Superior Avenue; on the Euclid end there is a flight of stairs since Euclid is at a higher elevation than Superior. The Superior Avenue entrance has its original Romanesque arch, but the Euclid Avenue entrance was remodeled in the 1930s in an Art Deco style. Also added in the 1930s is the circular stairway on the Superior end; its metalwork is decidedly Art Deco.

In 1999 The Arcade began its thoughtful conversion to a hotel. The former offices on the upper three levels are now hotel rooms, and the lower two levels remain as shops. The Arcade was among the first ten structures to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so strict Secretary of the Interior guidelines were followed during the renovation. The Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade opened in 2001, and it was the "host hotel" for "Art & Art Deco Cleveland 2006."

Cleveland Museum of Art