living
Signal 020 / 2020-09-02
The Arcade Providence in Rhode Island was built in 1828. For a long time it had been the nation’s oldest operating indoor mall. By 2008 however, the mall became vacant and was at the top of the city’s most endangered buildings list. The interior of the mall was restored to its former glory and the stores are converted into 46 ‘micro-lofts’ with an attractive renting rate for a starting young professional.
Image credits 01 Arcade Providence
Continuing on the trend of living in converted stores see Report 027 - Living in the Highstreet, we can start to see the same for malls. Once a store closes in a shopping mall, the rest can topple quite quickly. The appeal for the mall drops, which means less revenue for remaining stores, and the cycle continues. Converting a mall into apartments can be a great solution in ‘The World After’. They can be a cheap solution for housing shortages, and make a pleasant environment to live in.
Image credits 01 Arcade Providence Rhode Island built in 1828 02 Arcade Providence 2008
Image credits 01 Arcade Providence interior 02 Arcade Providence interior
Image credits 01 Arcade Providence
Image credits 01 Arcade Providence shopping mall 02 Arcade Providence 2008