Moss's perfectly preserved early arcade exemplifies many of the amenities of the small neighborhood shopping, business, and office arcades that led to their burgeoning into contemporary shopping centers. The concentration of goods and services in an enclosed, weatherproof environment equipped with large plate-glass windows both on the street and facing the central mall simplified the shopping process. Moss's limestone facade responded to the new typology by filling a gridded Neoclassical armature two stories in height and five generous bays in width with glass on both levels. Entry to the mall is through an archway that has no door (inviting, but also a convenience when hands are full), given special importance by its scale and architectural embellishment equivalent to small public buildings.