Historic Paddock Arcade of Watertown

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When my mom & I went to Paris post 9/11 
(a fantastic travel deal that couldn't be passed up), 

we wandered just for fun.  

I remember entering some indoor streets, 

kinda like shopping malls, but not.  

Very old.  

Full of design and visual delight.

Imagine my interest when I read G's (Aunt Snow) post about Parisian Passages or Arcades. 

So that's what those were!

Aunt Snow did a follow up post about American Arcades.

Skip to this week:

I am visiting my daughter in Watertown, NY.  

She and her little family will only live here less than 3 2 more weeks.  

Her hubby is going active US Air Force 

and they are moving to Alaska.  

Back to my visit, we are trying to fit in some of the activities that we haven't had a chance for in the week and a half I'm here.

  We were hungry for lunch and she said there was a café in this little shopping mall off the Square.

  It was just a cute little old fashioned space.  

Guess what it is called?  

 (If you read the title of the post, then maybe you've guessed.)  

It's the historic Paddock Arcade.

Take a walk through with us

and imagine how it was 160 years ago.  

 Apparently the Paddock Arcade 

(named after local developer Loveland Paddock) 

was only the second Shopping Arcade built in the United States.  

The first was in Providence, Rhode Island, 1819.

Tif said she and her friend used to sit at the internet coffee house and do their Bible Study together.

 Upstairs are offices:

 Apparently, there was a third level that was covered over maybe in the 1920's?  

But the drop glass ceiling still allows plenty of light.

 And it has been in continual use since its opening in 1850, 

from Watertown website

giving it the distinction as the longest operating shopping mall in the United States!

 Love, l♥ve, LOVE the stores' hanging signs (shingles?):

 The name "arcade" is an architectural term derived from the word arch.  

Once I read that, I said, 
"Duh!"  ha ha 

Meaning I didn't figure it out on my own.

I love the little mail slots.

 

Oh, they just don't make them like they used to, eh?