Asheville's Grove Arcade is one of my favorite buildings anywhere. If you are planning a trip to the area and have a day to go to Downtown Asheville, a must see is the Grove Arcade and the architecture of the surrounding area.
Built in the 1920's by E.W. Grove, a self made millionaire, his idea was to build the most elegant building in America. He had plans for the entire downtown area and started and completed many other buildings, including the Grove Park Inn, another incredible building in Asheville. Although E. W. Grove died before the completion of the building in 1927, his architect brought his dream to fruition. With 269,000 square feet of interior, the Arcade opened in 1929. It quickly became home to a fine collection of local shops. Tenants included candy and cigar stores, a haberdashery, a public stenography office, fruit stands, millinery shops, beauty parlors and barber shops, a photography center, bookstores and specialty groceries.
During World War II the Federal Government took over the building for offices, evicting everyone with very little notice. They used the building until the Mid-Eighties when the Market Task Force was formed and in 1997 the City of Asheville acquired the building. It is now on the National Registry of Historic Buildings and has had extensive restoration done to bring it back to it's magnificent state. The Grove Arcade reopened in 2002 fully restored and home to an eclectic group of shops and eateries.
Everywhere you look in this building you see amazing detail. There are so many styles and both sides of the building have glass ceilings, filling the halls with light. With circular stair cases and marble floors and lots and lots of glass, this is as ornate as they come.
Access to most of the stores comes from inside and outside. Large exterior windows allow a view of the stores within. The city has done a great job of making the outside as enjoyable as the interior, with benches and landscaping. And eateries have outdoor seating as well as indoors.
Located at One Page Avenue in Downtown Asheville, it is surrounded by some of the best examples of architecture in the area.
Watch the slide show of this building below.
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