Dead Mall: The Old Arcade - Cleveland, Ohio

Touring this beautiful victorian era structure that is one of the oldest shopping malls around and the first in Cleveland!
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- Main Camera: Sony A7s II
- Lens: Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
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- Drone: Mavic Air 2S
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- Light: Neewer 176 LED Panel
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- Video Editor: Final Cut Pro X
Thankyou for watching!
#DeadMall #Historic #JohnCassity

[@Carolynne1960]

Years back, this was a fun place to shop during Christmas time, so beautifully decorated.

[@tomopie4296]

Downtown Cleveland has always had tons of potential! This crazy cool interior space is one the reasons why. Glad to see it has been preserved all these years.

[@philipgermani1616]

I grew up in Cleveland and spent a lot of time in this gorgeous building. Hoping for the day when it comes alive again!

[@pearliesmiley9611]

It Is Still Soo Elegantly Beautiful ♡

[@unocryptoblackart716]

I love the Arcade. It's such a beautiful piece of architecture. So sad that it is not a hub of activity like it was when I lived there. In the early 90's, it was our hangout downtown. We loved that place. I miss it, and it is still very beautiful. When Hyatt took over the buildings, is when the Arcade pretty much stopped being a place of public activity. That's why it's empty all the time, still. We used to hang out in the Arcade everyday, and the Arcade was a throughway between Euclid and Superior which why it was always full of people. When Hyatt took over all that stopped.

[@nickangelo16]

I remember going there as a kid and being disappointed that it wasn't an actual arcade. This was around the time Mortal Kombat II was released.

[@EdwardBrackstoneFilms]

Man this has to be one of the coolest and grandest looking malls I've ever seen.

[@mallaholicretailadventures]

Beautiful looking building. They dont make em like that anymore.

[@robertpanetta7912]

This is such a beautiful space . Glad it has been preserved

[@chinabluewho]

Not really preserved as the Hyatt most likely only has the front fascade preserved, most likely nay place that you can't see has become derelict and rotted and will have to be torn down eventually after structural weakness sets in.

[@sweetdiva590]

So sad 😢 used to enjoy all the shops especially around Christmas

[@bobbiema6671]

Thank you so much for this video. This historic former mall was on my way to college way back when. It was so wonderful to see it now again, as a hotel. I loved your narration. This place was always decorated with Cleveland flags, and at Christmas you felt like you were in a Norman Rockwell painting. I pray this never gets torn down. Its a gem. Thanks again for giving me the privilege of seeing it again.

[@twoaugust]

I remember the arcade well. My grandfather owned the Boston shoe repair shop. Many times I would stay & help him while my Mom & sister would shop. Always had to wear Sunday best clothes to shop downtown. Great, great memories there at the arcade. Thank you for this video.

[@angelakimbrell1214]

Wow I haven’t been in there for so long this brought back old memories. Thank you for posting this.

[@robertwbingo]

I grew up near Cleveland. My first visit to the Arcade was as a kid. I was so impressed. In '68, I moved to Houston where, a year later, the Houston Galleria opened. Although it's much larger, it always reminds me of the Cleveland Arcade. Thanks for the great tour!

[@juliestockmeyer5871]

Gorgeous building. Seems like there aren’t enough vendors there to keep it open. As long as the hotel is there, I guess it’ll be fine. Great video!! I’m sorry I missed the premier, but I’m glad I watched the replay!!

[@JohnCassity]

Thanks Julie!

[@demtron]

They kicked them all out when they converted it to a Hyatt Hotel.

[@debbiejones3911]

I love this video. You actually feel like you are at The Arcade. Thanks for sharing.

[@TokyoChopSquad]

Man, I always dreamed of owning an apartment there as a kid.

[@RENTnerd87]

Also one place I really wish you could have filmed about 15 years ago, Quaker Square in Akron. A former Quaker Oatmeal factory, it had been renovated in the 70s into a multiuse building with shops, restaurants, a massive train museum, the Ohio Broadcaster's Hall Of Fame, and the former silos had even been transformed into a Hilton Hotel. Sadly, the entire property was purchased by University Of Akron in 2007

[@toddtracey9194]

Beautiful building. Glad to see that it is not all trashed and busted up inside. Somebody needs to find a use for the open area.

[@F22donny]

It’s kinda like a museum/piece of history now. Modern mall have replaced it so it’s a place to see what the guilded age was like.

[@bobbiema6671]

Its not an abandoned mall, and the title is misleading. If you didn't catch him saying it, this is now a hotel and the bottom two stories are stores and the lobby and food area. Its still a gorgeous place to visit and I'm very grateful it was saved and invested in. So be happy, its still in use!

[@johnnylee8762]

They hold some functions there like weddings and such but I think the hotel atop makes some revenue for the building itself

[@moose030406]

Looks amazing! Doesnt look dead at all.

[@ktoth29]

The problem is it was turned into a hotel. They are actively against pedestrians and loiterers in the lobby of the hotel. The upper floors are private rooms instead of busy offices. The prime retail space is a post office.

[@RangerRickTV]

I almost made it inside here but when I went they were closed. Beautiful footage as always.:))))

[@RyGuy0520]

It's been a long time since I've been here many plans came and went for this place the last one was to convert most of it into apartments and condos

[@RyGuy0520]

The westside market is another example of an early mall that's downtown in cleveland the westside market is still a very busy place and it's not too far from the Cleveland baseball stadium

[@timbuktu8069]

Currently the West Side Market is on hard times. According to the vendors it is because the city is *insisting* on diversity. The problem of course is that vendors don't show up in perfectly prescibed colors, genders or orientations. As a result a lot of stalls are empty.

[@jr8260]

@@timbuktu8069 pretty sure it has a lot more to do with a massive lack of customers during the recent events and a lot of tourists who don't really buy much.

[@timbuktu8069]

@@jr8260 I'm just going by what the vendors tell me. I trust them more than I trust city government.

[@jr8260]

@@timbuktu8069 I am as well lol so who knows

[@richardcook4111]

Odd that I didn't see a single person, well maybe a few in this video. I've never experienced it being so empty. Ever.

[@ehwestonful]

My last office in Cleveland, 50 years ago, was on the second floor of The Arcade. I can't believe it's empty now, Was this videoed on a weekday during normal business hours? Many memories of this building having been a Cleveland native. I don't think I've been in The Arcade in well over 40 years. I'm really sorry to see this. BTW is the old Colonial Arcade, which was about a half block north of this arcade, closed also?

[@mauriceredrick2079]

Me and my grandmother used to go here when I was a young boy she will buy me football cards and we will go to the food court awesome beautiful place!!

[@WillieDuitt1]

I have always considered the Old Arcade to be a bit of an escape from the rest of the world, I worked in downtown Cleveland and had a post office box in the Arcade just to go there a few times a week, in the early 80's my friends and I would get slices of pizza and sit facing Euclid Ave. and look south on E. 4th St and watch the hustlers ply their trade. That area of downtown has changed for the good and bad, its generic white bread it used to have an edge. It was also a great place for a cardio stair climbing workout all year long. Saw Congressman Louis Stokes in there days before the Hotel closed it for renovation, I realized he was doing the same thing I was, saying good-bye to an era....thanks this is a quality video tribute...makes me want to take a day off and go check it out.

[@JohnCassity]

Thank you!!!

[@alw4326]

Glad to see it preserved but so sad to see it empty. We used to call it the Superior Arcade to differentiate it from the other arcades on Euclid. When I was a kid, my mom would take me there to shop & eat, especially during Christmas. The decorations were so beautiful! I think there used to be a lot of flags too. It was a fun, bustling busy place with many shops, small offices and places to eat. We used to go to the very top and sit down to eat and marvel at all the people below. How I miss those days. Thank you for the tour and narration!

[@ryanwilson8862]

Thank you for an excellent and informative tour of this elegant historic building. Although the mall part might not be doing so well, the use as a hotel and offices should hopefully guarantee the survival of this building. PS What was that background piano music - thanks.

[@RangerRickTV]

I cant belive this place looks like a ghost town.

[@LFSPharaoh]

I've stayed here before, long time ago. It is a magical place especially at night with all the perfect lighting.

[@nickangelo16]

I remember going there as a kid and being disappointed that it wasn't an actual arcade.

[@JohnCassity]

@@nickangelo16 😂

[@WillieDuitt1]

Back in the old days the gargoyles had light bulbs in their mouths....I bet that was a great sight!!

[@iohio8677]

I was sixteen and had a job for school credit/ $ at the Frank J Lausche /State office bldg. I would come here to eat my lunch at one of the many small tables overlooking everything. There was a wonderful bookstore with a street entrance and an arcade entrance.💕

[@susanswalius7113]

I went on a whole school quarter. Field trips to all the old churchs of Cleveland a man from the Cleveland archives took us through them. The arcade was one of the tours. The Cleveland library. The stories were incredable. Like in st theodosius.. where a part of the Saint had to be part of the church. Well in that one it is a finger nail. I wish someone would do those tours on video. We went to one that had one of the last pipe organs. We got to go in the bowels of it. To enter you had to go through a decompression chamber. Pretty cool. That was the best class I ever took

[@saltywrath8903]

You need law and order and less greed from politicians and owners for places like this to thrive.

[@steveafanador6441]

In the early 90s I used to go to the comic shop in that place. It was called super city comics. I still love that building

[@jennifersantone9548]

Great work. Love your videos. My deepest sympathies for your loss. 💔

[@dlagrua]

Beautiful historic structure now being used as a hotel but still saved.

[@krystalgardier69]

Beautiful architecture. Gorgeous wow. Nice Video thanks for sharing.

[@bvm3925]

We can all thank Amazon for their hand in destroying these wonderful places.

[@RENTnerd87]

There was something similar attempted on an obviously much smaller scale in Salem, Courtyard Square Mall. Opened in fall 2015, less than 4 years later they were down to one tenant, Coaches Burgers (last time I was there at least, I haven't been down there since the pandemic started) There were some really high hopes for the complex though, and because I was part of a theatre troop doing shows there in 2016 I was privy to some of those dreams lol. Terry and I have talked about shooting it when the pandemic finally calms down

[@CreeepinItReal]

Thank goodness for the hotel utilizing this beautiful building otherwise I don’t think it would have lasted this long

[@jhobbs05]

Love the details. Never seen a mall like this before!

[@exploreohio1735]

Really don't get it, not like it's run down or anything it been gorgeous inside and out since it existed.

[@greghook2655]

It's the city and surrounding areas. It's just not safe there anymore. And it's so sad to see because I spend a lot of time downtown because I was born and raised in Cleveland

[@timbuktu8069]

One of the problems is that the owners charge extorsionist rents. A vendor has to do a fantastic business just to get by.

[@sirekumasutra7022]

Nice building and video. Went here when I went to the Browns game.

[@CreeepinItReal]

There was a wedding reception in the arcade last time I was there

[@logans6619]

Spectacular

[@jayajaya788]

This is so sad...I'm from Cleveland, Ohio but I left in the early '90s ...I saw that the City was heading for disaster...I just hope things change at some point

[@tima4929]

Oh geez , the city is dong fine. There is new construction throughout Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. New apartment buildings and Sherwin Williams just broke ground on their new world headquartes on Public Square. Ohio city and Ttemont are booming. Don't be such a gloom and doom downer.

[@WillieDuitt1]

Everybody that stayed in Cleveland still knows it The Best Location In The Nation.....Some people never understood the saying on the T-Shirt from the 1970's-Cleveland...You Gotta Be Tough!!!

[@yeboscrebo4451]

@@tima4929 Cleveland is the poorest big city in the country. I don’t think that qualifies as “doing fine”. Have you been listening to the lego song again?

[@tima4929]

@@yeboscrebo4451 It is doing fine Lots of new construction and people moving downtown. Some of the wealthiest communities in the Nation are in the Cleveland metro area. Ie Hunting Valley Gates Mills Pepper Pike etc

[@yeboscrebo4451]

@@tima4929 I see , so you mean some small segments are doing fine.

[@notmebutyou8350]

This is a nice video. Can you tell me what the music is?

[@Chukalux77]

Is this the same as Tower city ? Or was it once known as Tower city mall or is something totally different ?

[@mdougiefresh]

Totally different. Tower City is the mall/shopping area beneath the Terminal Tower which is the center of downtown Cleveland. Above the mall is the Casino which was the old Higbee Department store which is also in the Terminal tower. The arcade mentioned in this video is a few blocks up from tower city.

[@moose030406]

Tower City has a totally different roof/ celling. Different bulding.

[@modifacts]

Imagine this would have made a nice central courtyard on a ship like the Titanic.....

[@JohnCassity]

Agreed💯👌

[@joekoz3815]

We took wedding pictures there in 1981.

[@RENTnerd87]

Have you ever been to Cascade Center in New Castle? That's a place that's been trying since 2006 to be sort of a cross between this place and Station Square in Pittsburgh but so far hasn't really gotten off the ground

[@DrAlexVasquezICHNFM]

Such a tragedy that so many American buildings and especially shopping centers are completely disgusting and then when Americans have such a beautiful structure like this they leave it to ruin

[@jimmccormick6091]

Boy, you gotta give John D Rockefeller credit! He never did ANYTHING part way! I bet this place was extremely crowded way back in the day. But, as we in Cleveland know, downtown fell out of fashion for a LONG, LONG time, for various reasons. People, and businesses fled to the suburbs. Now, it is owned by the Hyatt. No disrespect to them, I would be willing to bet they got it for a song. It appears as if they converted most of the top 3 floors into hotel rooms(?). What a waste. Repurpose those back to small offices! With the influx of young people moving downtown, they would rent out these spaces in a heartbeat, as long as they were fairly priced. I have to believe that retail would make a comeback as well. Just waiting for Hyatt to make the move....... and waiting.....and waiting.....

[@firstnamemike]

Blimps used to be here.

[@brucepedersen5647]

You picked the WRONG TIME to film here. Go at Christmas time, and see for yourself how different,and charming it is. You're just showing it in April. NOTHING happens in April dude.

[@mrtodd3620]

What does the hotel use the upper floors for?

[@JohnCassity]

I believe all the upper floors are turned into rooms now, and the lower levels with the former shops are mainly empty. Thank you for watching!

[@stephenrae6207]

Hotel rooms.

[@LastFirst-rr9cj]

The cities of the U.S. is where you do do not want to be in the coming months. Move out into the hinterland. Live self sufficiently as possible including water and electricity. Be prepared for people from the cities wanting to take everything you have so they can survive. Is it going to get that bad. Yes!

[@1991ROLEX]

It's in better condition than it was in the 1970s and 1980s when it was last so unoccupied. Yea, there was some economic depression/recession back then too. And how soon we all forget.

[@ghostcreature1536]

Good video dude. When’s your next one?

[@worldtravelimagesnet]

Must be USA:s most beautiful shopping mall! So sad and really a shame that so many stores are closed, at least they are not modernised that might be the case if they want to attract more customers with modern stores. So perhaps better to keep it closed.

[@leojones7266]

That is not a mall,it a walk through arcade .Back in the 1970s,1980,1990s,it was filled with stores and places to eat.

[@leonardengelhart1965]

I remember several years ago my wife and I stopped here while visiting downtown on our day off. We ate our lunch there at a table on the walkway. Even then most stores were vacated. Can still remember when it was a busy place. Great memories The next Cleveland victim's going to be the West side market

[@dkcrook5]

who consider that a mall

[@hankhammer8079]

The city is dead

[@moose030406]

Actually its packed.

[@davidstaudohar8147]

I live in Cleveland, we went from a thriving Metropolitan city to a Ghost town to a grave yard, Rest in Peace, 🙏✝️🙏.

[@DrinkWhiskeyRaiseHell]

Don't be recording and driving. No one wants to get hit or run over by a KZbinr trying to drive and shoot and intro. Cool mall though.

[@johnisfat828]

Bro go to Planet Fitness

[@parrotfishcat]

Bad luck place

[@zoieb1859]

why

[@moose030406]

Actually no

[@y0bc0]

can you send me an email?

[@richardpeecook2082]

What ashame...... Cleveland has been in a decline for years. The democrat rule is not business friendly. Crime, bums, deadbeats shoplifters...... The democrat mayor's are to blame for a lot. Such a waste. Was and could still be amazing. Vote all democrats out.....

[@moose030406]

Obamas New World Order.