Our History

In 1903, the McClain Brothers took out a $1,500 loan from the Lebanon Lodge #98 and built a department store in the southeast corner of the Lebanon Square.  After a major fire destroyed the building in1909, it was decided to rebuild and install an arcade that would run the entire length of the building.  The arcade design provides a central open space with skylights that allow natural light throughout the building. 

Over the past century, The Arcade has been home to a great variety of businesses including a department store, an optometrist, a dressmaker, a lumber company, a dentist, the Chamber of Commerce and various civic clubs.  In days gone by, The Arcade was a mall before there were malls.  It was a place where children ran up and down the stairs and their parents shopped indoors from store to store.

The Arcade is a historical landmark for the City of Lebanon and great care has been taken to bring back the original design of the building as much as possible.  The Arcade’s brick and limestone arch has been uncovered under layers of siding, the original roof beams exposed, and the wooded flooring preserved.  This historic gem brings together the old and the new in wonderful shopping and entertaining environment.