Located at 617 Main Street, the building was originally named "The Palace Arcade" and was constructed as a collection of indoor shops and offices. It was modeled after the Burlington Arcade in London (1818-1819) and the Gallery Umberto (1887-1890) in Naples, and is considered to be the forerunner of contemporary suburban malls. It features a Neoclassical Beaux-Arts design, coinciding with the popularity of Roman architecture, which was featured at the 1893 World's Fair held in Chicago.

The pleasantly scaled interior presented visitors with a series of sparkling plate-glass storefronts lining either side of the long corridor. Such large expanses of glass were relatively new to commercial architecture in the 1890s. The Palace Arcade possessed one of the best interior pedestrian spaces between Main and Washington streets, serving as a connector to Chippewa's thriving public market. Like the European arcades, the Palace Arcade maintained close ties to the street around it. The interior featured terra cotta, corinthian columns, egg and dart moldings, and a frosted glass skylight. The exterior features twin monumental facades of arches, columns, and fine ornament, along with Bison heads symbolizing the City of Buffalo. The Arcade closed during the 1970s and was re-opened as the Market Arcade in 1995 after a $10 million renovation. Today, it houses offices, shops, cafes, the CEPA Gallery, SUNY Empire State College, and the Buffalo-Niagara Visitors Center, which contains a variety of materials that welcome visitors to Downtown Buffalo.

From the Main Street entrance, head one block South across Chippewa Street to Fountain Plaza.