1976 letter designating the Paddock Arcade as a site on the National Register of Historic Places. Courtesy of Watertown Daily Times Archives. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
The 1 Public Square entrance to the Paddock Arcade features a series of murals highlighting historic Watertown, NY, and the entrance to the Beauty Bar, where the story goes a previous iteration did include special beverages as part of the salon experience. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
An entryway features a set of murals by local artist Ronald Collins, depicting themes from the Paddock Arcade’s 19th-century days as a place for the fashionable to see and be seen, to the Watertown origins of the Woolworth’s five-and-dime store chain, to the bustling Jefferson County Fair, celebrated locally as the oldest continually running fair in the country. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
Features at the Paddock Club on August 24, 2017. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
Steve Duffany, who is one of the longest-standing proprietors (as of 2017) with his insurance business in the Arcade, and Dr. Jason White, a local history buff and friend of the Paddock Arcade community, show visiting folklorists around the upper level during documentation for the award. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
When setting up his business's office on the Arcade balcony, Rod Castillo found this old sign, made by John Stocker for the restroom that used to be open to the public and was accessible through his own long-running and popular office supply store in the Arcade. The sign is written on the back of an ad for duplicating equipment that J. J. Stocker Co., Inc. had available for sale. J.J. Stocker Co. started in 1922 and is still in business (as of 2020), but has relocated out of the Paddock Arcade. Courtesy of Rod Castillo, Keyes Information Technology, 2017.
Paddock Arcade business owners, patrons, and friends have built a strong community in connection to the space. (l. to r.) Steve Duffany and Robyn Bartlett, who both have businesses in the Paddock Arcade, visit with friend Jason White, and with Carol Loch from Watertown, NY's Downtown Business Association. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
A poster in the Arcade for the 2017 Haunted House in the Arcade, a favorite local annual event. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
Getting one of the upstairs rooms ready in 2017 for the annual Paddock Arcade Halloween Haunted House, sponsed by the American Kang Duk Won Karate studio, an Arcade business, and the Downtown Business Association. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
Whoopie pies are among the tasty favorites from Johnny D's, a neighborhood restaurant in the Paddock Arcade. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
The back entrance to the Paddock Arcade. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
Pysanky eggs for sale in Paddock Arts and Antiques inside the Paddock Arcade. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
Lee Ellsworth and fellow proprietors of the Paddock Arts and Antiques store have notes at the ready for when they regularly step across the way to grab lunch from other businesses--and friends in their tight-knit community--in the Arcade. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.
Robert Dalton, proprietor of the Paddock Club, walks through the delicious aromas from Europe Cakes as a visitor to the Arcade rides a bike around inside by Village Peddler, a bike and repair shop. Photo by Camilla Ammirati, 2017.

Watertown, Jefferson County
Early Covered Shopping Mall

Built in 1850 by Watertown native Loveland Paddock, the Paddock Arcade is the oldest continuously operated covered shopping mall in the country. It was built in the Gothic style, topped with a glass roof that allows daylight to filter through. Over the years, shops have generally occupied the bottom floor while the upper floors have been used for office space and residences. Community members treasure memories of the Arcade—from picking up fine women’s goods at Robinson’s to savoring the Karmelkorn shop’s popcorn and pralines. At the time of receiving this award (2017), the Arcade was home to popular restaurants, a tavern, a martial arts studio, a bicycle shop, a bakery, and other boutique shops and offices. Businesses have changed over the years—these days you might pick up a cannoli instead of Karmelkorn—but at number 1 Public Square, the Arcade still functions as a shopping and business center, remaining the benchmark structure in Watertown’s historic downtown district. It also remains an important community gathering place, with holiday and civic events, a farmer’s market, and the annual Haunted Paddock Arcade bringing new generations through the doors.

 

This feature on the Paddock Arcade is a segment of the Profiles of North Country Heritage video TAUNY produced in 2017 in celebration of the year’s award recipients.

 

Listen in as community members share thoughts and stories about the Paddock Arcade, amidst the sounds of a day at work in the space:

Lee Ellsworth, a co-owner of Paddock Art and Antiques, talks about the camaraderie of being in the Arcade, carolers singing from the balconies, and the current versus historical expectations of what an “arcade” is.

 

Robyn Bartlett talks about the family business Johnny D’s, how they got from a kid chasing a food truck to opening their restaurant/commissary in the Arcade, and why they love being there.

 

Community member Jason White describes being in the Paddock Arcade as a “five senses experience,” from the cool stone walls to the remembered smell of Karmelkorn.

 

  • Award Very Special Place
  • Award Year 2017
  • Location Watertown, NY (Jefferson County, Black River Valley)
  • Categories Cultural Landmark