Then & Now: Where Dayton gathered under the Arcade rotunda

This view of the Arcade is the subject of this week's update to the popular Then & Now photo feature, which explores past and present views of notable Dayton locations.

The three-story dome, 90 feet in diameter by 70 feet high, is supported by 16 arcaded bays of iron pillars with semi-circular and semi-elliptical arches that spanned the original indoor market.

“Words fail to convey a perfect idea for the wonderful beauty of the gentlemen who in this Arcade have given to Dayton a building which for completeness, elegance, and artistic as well as practical value, cannot be duplicated in this country and probably not in the world,” wrote the Dayton Daily News when it opened.

We'll feature more about Dayton Arcade with current interior photographs in the subscriber-only History Extra publishing the Dec. 14 edition of the ePaper and on MyDaytonDailyNews.com.