There are more than 100 years' worth of stories at The Arcade in Downtown Cleveland, and through the years, its beauty has been captured on film thousands of times.
But a local photographer had a split second to capture The Arcade's newest memory.
Alex Farmer has collected film cameras over the years. Even ones from around the world, like one from Russia called the Kiev.
Farmer does a lot of landscape photography and is one of Cleveland's more notable still photographers.
“I just love the city," Farmer said.
He's attracted fans like Melanie Townsend from the Cleveland Public Library.
“I love the fact that he is willing to try every single different kind of camera that he can get his hands on and show us the process," Townsend said.
One of Farmer's favorite spots is The Arcade, which opened in 1890 and is now practically frozen in time.
“There are certain places in Cleveland that scream, ‘Cleveland’," Farmer said. "This is definitely one of them."
And there's no better tool to capture this historic place than on Farmer's newly acquired 100-year-old camera.
“Something I love about the old cameras is, it’s just a light-proof box that you fire the shutter, and it just lets light into your film," Farmer said.
So two days before Christmas, Farmer ventured out to The Arcade, which was bathed in winter light.
However, the light and the camera did not work together at first. He had frames with too much light, then not enough. With just one photo left, he found something.
“I wanted to end my roll with kind of the most iconic view," Farmer said.
He looked up from his camera to see a young couple.
“He knelt down… I’m like, ‘Whoa!'" Farmer said.
With no time to check settings, Farmer found the shutter and captured a proposal on his antique camera.
“I developed the film like three days later with absolutely no real hope that I’ll get anything out of it," Farmer said.
But this time, the setting, lighting and timing worked out to capture the beautiful moment.
By the time Farmer looked up from his camera and ran down the stairs, the couple was gone.
“That could have been a photo taken in 1890… How are we going to find these people?” Townsend said.
That's where News 5 viewers come in. If you know the couple who got engaged at The Arcade the afternoon of Dec. 23, 2025, let us know.
You can email us at newsdesk@wews.com.
