The Providence Arcade oldest shopping mall in the USA in astrogeography. Astrology and architecture: the astrogeographical position of the first shopping mall
In 1828 the Westminster Arcade in downtown Providence, Rhode Island was the first enclosed shopping mall in the Americas. A National Historic Landmark since 1976 it has now been turned into a housing project with 48 homes at 550 $ at month on the upper levels and boutique shops at the lower level.
Astrogeographic position for morphogenetic field level 4 which describes the atmosphere and energetical topics of the 65 m long building: one coordinate lies in creative, innovative, holistic air sign Aquarius sign of the sky, heaven, paradise, abstraction, inspiration, alternative culture, self-finding. Aquarius stands for the innovative character that the building once had when it served as the pioneer and prototype of shopping malls in the USA. In regard to the architecture of the structure the glass roof that allows the sunlight to enter and includes the open sky inside the building is symptomatic of Aquarius.
The 2nd coordinate lies in solid, exclusive, conservative earth sign Capricorn sign of walls, control, quality management, rules & regulations, stability, traditions and the ideal of keeping the historical landmark alive. Capricorn stands for the idea of building a big and fully closed up house for a shopping place. And as the sign of public space Capricorn stands for the idea of creating a public shopping center with common rules and regulations to replace private single shops
The historicistic facade may be evaluated as a symptomatic element of both signs. The resonance with Capricorn lies in the reference to classical buildings with an intention to qualify the market place building as an upper classes market. The resonance with Aquarius lies in the abstraction made that a modern market place is basically a modern from of a classical markt place. The abstraction serves the reconnection with the original idea of market places.
Both signs Capricorn as the sign of mountains and prominent positions and Aquarius as the sign of the sky relate to the idea of lifting the market from the ground level up to higher places by introducing a second and third level.
