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.
A list of some of the businesses that were in The Arcade Building over the years. • Aetna Laymon Insurance • Arcade Jewelry Store • Art Gallery • Barber Shop • Beauty Shop • Becky Jane Pastries • Blanchester Board of Public Affairs • Blanchester Post Office • Books Bakery • Dr. L. Trumoff, Optometrist • G. H. Deck Jeweler • Gray & Simpson Tv & Appliances • Gregory Photography • Julia Walsh, Seamstress • Korn Kurl • Laymon & Eichelberger Mortuary • Library (upstair - south side) • Moody Edgington Jeweler • Rachford's Jeweler • Slagles Automotive Supply • W.W. Burke Mortuary • William's Watch Repair
Businesses Source: Blanchester Area Heritage, Curless Printing, Blanchester, 1994 Source: Wilmington News Journal. January 14, 1918, Page 5.
