The Peachtree Arcade was a shopping arcade in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The building, modeled after the Arcade in Cleveland, was designed by Atlanta-based architect A. Ten Eyck Brown and was located between Peachtree Street and Broad Street near Five Points. Construction began in 1917 and was completed the following year. Located in the city's central business district, it was very popular with citizens, functioning as an unofficial "civic center" for the city. However, by the 1960s, the arcade was facing increased competition from shopping malls located in Atlanta's suburbs, and in 1964, the building was demolished to make way for the First National Bank Building, a skyscraper that, at the time of its construction, was the tallest building in both Atlanta and the southeastern United States. In 1993, the American Institute of Architects named the building as one of Atlanta's most notable landmarks to have been destroyed.
History
Site prior to the arcade The arcade was located on a plot of land between Peachtree Street and Broad Street near Five Points, running parallel to the Western and Atlantic Railroad. The site had originally been the location of several natural springs that served as the headwaters for Intrenchment Creek, which, through several tributaries, eventually flowed to the Atlantic Ocean via the Altamaha River, with the springs constituting the river's most northwesterly source. In 1845, the land came under the ownership of Patrick Connally and his daughter Mary A. Dougherty, and the land would remain in the family under her descendants until at least 1969. During the mid-1850s, the land was home to a ten-pin bowling alley and the first bakery in the city, which were both operated by the Doughertys. That same decade, the three-story Concert Hall Building, which served as barracks and a prison during the American Civil War, was constructed. James J. Andrews, a spy known for his participation in the Great Locomotive Chase, was kept imprisoned at the building prior to his hanging. This building was demolished after the war and was replaced by the National Hotel, which was the largest hotel in the city until the Kimball House was constructed. In addition to operating as a hotel, it also served as a hospital. This building was destroyed by a fire in 1902 and was later replaced by the Emery Steiner Building. This property was owned by Flynn Realty Co., which was owned by Dougherty's heirs. Starting in the late 1890s, the city went through a period of rapid growth focused primarily on the area near Five Points, and local business leaders, boosters, and city officials attempted to improve the area's image as a more consumer-friendly part of the city. In 1901, a viaduct was constructed for Peachtree Street over the railroad tracks, improving pedestrian mobility in the area, and between 1909 and 1914, the Atlanta City Council began a project to add electric street lights to the area in order to make it more inviting to consumers. By the 1910s, Peachtree Street had become the main business thoroughfare in the city, with a 1917 article published by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce calling the site the "most central location" in Atlanta's central business district.
Construction
The idea for a shopping arcade in Atlanta was proposed by local businessman R. R. Otis, a partner in the real estate firm of Otis & Holliday. During a visit to Cleveland around the turn of the century, he became enamored by the city's Arcade, and he believed that a similar building could be successful in Atlanta. Both the Cleveland and the proposed Atlanta arcade were part of a trend in urban design that saw arcades constructed in numerous cities in Europe and North America, such as the Jardin du Palais-Royal in Paris and the Westminster Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1916, Atlanta-based architect A. Ten Eyck Brown drew up designs for the new structure, modeling the overall design heavily after the Cleveland Arcade. Brown's work on the arcade would later help him in acquiring more large architectural projects in the city, including the City Hall (1930) and the Post Office (1933). Otis selected the site of the Emery Steiner Building to be the location for this new arcade, in large part because it was one of the few pieces of land large enough to accommodate the new structure that was under one ownership. Otis would oversee the construction of the building and would also be in charge of its management after completion, though it would remain under the ownership of Flynn Realty. The completed building would be the first and only shopping arcade in the city. According to an article published in The Atlanta Constitution after the arcade's announcement, the building "will undoubtedly compare favorably with any other such structure in the larger cities of this country and in Europe". Construction on the building began in March 1917, with A. V. Gude & Co. serving as the general contractors. The project, which cost approximately $500,000, was financed by the Northwestern Life Insurance Company. As part of construction, a part of the structure of the Steiner Building was incorporated into the new building. Initially, work went smoothly, aided by good weather, and a September 10 article published by the chamber of commerce on the building stated that it was expected to be completed on time. However, despite the plans for a completion in 1917, a labor shortage caused by emergency government work in the area slowed down progress, and it wasn't completely finished until 1918. By February 1918, with work still going on finishing touches that were expected to take several weeks, businesses had already begun moving into the building, with an occupancy of over 75 percent.
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