PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Providence Arcade was once the heart of the capital city’s downtown.

Built in 1828, it was a bustling commercial center with a skylight-topped center atrium surrounded by three levels of shops and offices. It’s also a nationally important example of Greek Revival architecture, boasting 12 massive granite Ionic columns and elaborate iron railings lining walkways that ring its upper floors. The oldest enclosed shopping center in the country, it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1976.