The Arcade, modeled after Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele in Milan, opened in 1890 and was built at a cost of $867,000. The building is a cross between a light court and a commercial passage or shopping street. When it opened, it was one of the first indoor shopping malls in the United States, consisting of three structures: two 9-story office buildings connected by the four-story iron-and-glass enclosed arcade. The 300-foot-long arcade itself is a covered light court ringed by four levels of balconies. It's been a central part of Cleveland for more than a century, and looks as good as ever.