America's First Shopping Mall: The Arcade Building, Providence, RI

This new and exciting shopping mall was the center vignette of atleast two different Rhode Island State Bank Notes. Circa 1850.

Did your Great-Great-Great-Grandmother shop here? If shelived in the Providence, R.I. area during the mid-1800sand was able to drive her horse and buggy to shop downtown she might have visited this new and exciting type of retailbusiness place, a mall! The Westminster Arcade Building wasbuilt in 1828, primarily of granite and housed three levels ofmercantile businesses. The building helped revitalize a neglectedpart of downtown Providence during the mid-1800s. The buildinghas endured close to two centuries of use, many internal renovations and is still in use, today. Great Granny could have shoppedhere for millinery goods, fresh foods, East India goods and perhapsfurniture. The Arcade Bank opened in this building in 1831 andremained here until it became a national bank in 1865. Great-Great-Great Granny could easily have spent money issued by thisbank. It would be decades before federally issued paper moneyreplaced the issues of state chartered banks.

This image of the $3 note of the Arcade Bank shows the Westminster Streetentrance to the Arcade building which was designed by James C. Bucklin.The note lacks signatures because it is a proof impression struck for inspection by the bank board of directors and not meant for issue.

The building was built between Westminster and Weybosset Streets and aftertrying to decide which architectural rendering to choose for the two entrances it was decided to use both, one at the Westminster Street entrance and the other at the Weybosset Street entrance.

The Weybosset Street entrance was designed by Russell W. Warren and whileobviously different, is still in keeping with Greek Revival Architecture.Thanks to this bank and many others, scenes of local structures andneighborhoods have been preserved on the issues of their paper currency.

This modern image of the Arcade Building after its latest renovation shows a mall with retail businesses on the ground floor and micro-apartment space on the two upper floors. This type of apartment has become popular for people wanting to live in downtown areas with a minimum of floor space. This building has now been operating for almost 200 years without major exterior renovation.

John adds:

For more information on the New England Numismatic Association, see:
https://www.nenacoin.org/

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE ELM CITY BANK OF NEW HAVEN(https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n40a23.html)