Paddock Arcade

=Paddock Arcade=

The Paddock Arcade was built in 1850 on Public Square in Watertown. Designed by Otis Wheelock and built by Loveland Paddock, the three story arcade was modeled after similar arcades in Europe and the United States. In 1920 a large section of the Paddock Building was demolished to make way for construction of the Woolworth Building. Around this time, the arcade received a translucent, steel-and-wire-glass dropped ceiling between its second and third stories, which allowed light to filter in from its glass roof.

The three story arcade, which is fronted by the four story Paddock Building, has been home to a multitude of businesses in it's 157 year old history. Its 157 years of uninterrupted operation gives the Paddock Arcade the distinction of being the oldest, continuously operating covered shopping mall in the United States. After several years of decline, and near closure in the early 2000's, the arcade today is being revitalized by new businesses and ownership.

The Paddock Arcade was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.