The Arcade is a long, narrow building extending between Westminster and Weybosset Streets, north of Orange Street in downtown Providence. The two street-facing sides consist of Greek temple fronts, with six massive Ionic columns high. These massive columns were quarried away in
Johnston and hauled over dirt roads by teams of oxen. The columns on the Westminster Street side are topped by a triangular
pediment; the Weybosset Street side has a block-and-panel railing above a simple entablature. Behind these fronts are open
vestibule areas with stairs leading to the upper levels. The stairs leading to the third level are somewhat crowded beneath the roofline, particularly on the Weybosset Street side, where the vestibule was a late addition occasioned by the decision to add a third floor. The long sides of the building are relatively unadorned, as it was expected by the architects that structures would eventually be built abutting them. The interior consists of a main avenue on the ground floor, above which the second and third floor lanes are protected by richly decorated cast iron railings capped in mahogany. The skylit roof extends the length of the building, its ridgeline aligned at the Westminster end with the top of the triangular pediment. Emphasis in all of the building's construction was on the use of fireproof materials; granite, brick, and cast iron are all used, and the roof was made of tin. ==Images==