Paddock Arcade
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Paddock Arcade is a 19th century shopping mall located in Watertown, New York. Built in 1850, it is the second oldest covered shopping mall in the United States. Since it has seen uninterrupted use since it opened in 1850, it carries the distinction of being the country's oldest, continuously operating covered shopping mall. The Paddock Arcade was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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Location and Architecture
At No. 1 Public Square, the arcade remains the benchmark structure in Watertown's historic downtown district. The structure runs perpendicular to the adjoining Paddock Building. The arcade was built in the Gothic style, topped with a glass roof that allowed daylight to filter through. The Paddock Building contains a 19th century Italianate facade.
History
The arcade was built by Watertown native Loveland Paddock and designed by architect Otis Wheelock. It was based on similar arcades built during that era in the United States and Europe. Shops occupied the bottom floor, while the upper floors were used for office space.
In the 1920s, a large section of the Paddock Building was demolished to make way for new construction. Also in the 1920s, arcade owners put forth a major redesign of the arcade, eschewing its original Gothic interior with a more modern design, which included the installation of the current translucent, steel-and-wire-glass dropped ceiling between its second and third stories. This ceiling still allowed light to filter in from the arcade's glass roof.
Today
The arcade still functions as a shopping and business center in Watertown's downtown district. In recent years, structural and aesthetic improvements, coupled with new businesses are helping to guarantee the arcade's future. The arcade is the current home to The Different Drummer Internet Cafe, Johnny D's Casual Dining, Moontide Arts Fashion and New Age, Paddock Club Tavern, [Steve Weed Productions], The Village Peddler bicycle shop, Paddock Antiques, The Paddock Coffee House, Coleman Montessori, and Arcade Barber & Beauty Shop. In 2007, It was announced that the arcade would be host to Watertown's popular farmers market for its extended fall season.
See also
- Public Square (Watertown, New York)
- Italianate architecture
- Gothic Revival architecture
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Cleveland arcade
- Westminster Arcade, the oldest enclosed shopping mall in the United States
