The Arcade was an iconic building on South Broadway that was built shortly after the block was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1895. It was what most people today would consider a mall. The businesses on two floors faced each other across a shared corridor. It featured a beautiful glass roof that let light stream down on the businesses below. The glass roof was the type of architectural feature that would be a progressive design even for a much larger town.
On January 14, 1918 the glass roof of the Arcade building collapsed under a heavy snowfall. Luckily there were no deaths or serious injuries.
In the mid 1960's the Arcade was razed to create a parking lot.
Source: Wilmington News Journal. January 14, 1918, Page 5.
