Built in 1902, the Ritter Arcade in Huntington, West Virginia was a jewel of downtown shopping—a climate-controlled corridor lined with storefronts, connecting city blocks under a glass roof. For nearly a century, these arcades were where ordinary Americans shopped, met friends, and gathered as part of daily urban life.
You step inside from the cold street and suddenly the world opens up. Glass skylights flood the passageway with soft light. Shop windows glow on both sides—a jeweler, a drugstore, a dress shop. The sound of footsteps echoes. Strangers nod. This is Main Street on a Saturday afternoon.
Reflect
Is there a public indoor space in your neighborhood where strangers still gather to shop and meet?