Arcade Building, listed on the NRHP in Buncombe County, North Carolina
The Arcade Building is a commercial structure in Asheville completed in 1929 that spans an entire city block with a steel frame and concrete foundation. It features Tudor Revival and Late Gothic Revival architectural elements, molded terra cotta details, rounded corners, and a distinctive shape consisting of a lower rectangular section topped by a smaller set-back upper portion.
The building was constructed between 1926 and 1929 and designed by architect Charles N. Parker for E.W. Grove, an industrialist who sought to develop Asheville as a health destination. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and served as the headquarters for the National Climatic Data Center until 1995 when the federal government occupied it during and after World War II.
The building originally served as a public market where people from the region gathered to buy and sell goods and socialize. Today it continues this tradition as a meeting place in downtown Asheville where visitors and residents shop, dine, and gather together.
The building contains shops and restaurants on the ground floor, offices on middle levels, and apartments on upper floors that visitors can explore freely. Take time to walk through and notice the architectural details including the winged lions on the north side and the spiral staircase that add to the experience.
The building was one of the first enclosed shopping centers in the United States and represented a revolutionary design concept for its era. Venetian architectural influences appear in details like the winged lions on the facade, bringing European sophistication to American commercial development.
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