archaeography

The Arcade is the United States’ oldest indoor shopping center, built in the late 1820s in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The glass doors still advertise the business hours, even while ephemeral, printed signs state emphatically: “The Arcade is officially closed.” Businesses line the street around it – banks, eateries, shops – but the Arcade stands silent and empty, a shell with a substantial presence, closed off with cardboard and chains. The antique tools of a shoe-shining business still sit in the front window, which reflects the signage of one of Providence’s new claim-to-fame establishments, a Dunkin’ Donuts. These particular eateries can be found conveniently scattered throughout the city, accessible with a kind of ease reminiscent of that convenience the Arcade first promoted: finding a multiplicity of stores all within one building. No longer a novelty, the Arcade is a part of Providence’s forgotten history; this process of forgetting is achieved piece by piece – even the plaque commemorating the building’s innovative function has been removed, leaving only scratched stone in its place.