Land for the arcade was purchased by the Gordon Square Co. from Henry Ford who had abandoned plans to construct an automobile plant on the site following World War I. Although the post war recession between 1918 and 1920 disrupted his plans, Ford's choice of the Gordon Square area was not surprising. The surrounding neighborhood was densely populated by working class immigrants. What is now considered the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood was home to a number of factories and manufacturing plants, including National Carbon Co. and Westinghouse. | Date: 1944 | Source: Cleveland Public LibraryDownload Original File
