Eastern Market, Washington, D.C.
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| Eastern Market | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | 7th and C Streets, SE, Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates: | 38°53′11″N 76°59′48″W / 38.88639°N 76.99667°W |
| Built/Founded: | 1871 |
| Architect: | Adolf Cluss, Snowden Ashford |
| Architectural style(s): | Italianate |
| Governing body: | Local |
| Added to NRHP: | May 27, 1971 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 71000998 |
The Eastern Market is a public market in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., housed in a 19th century brick building. It is located on 7th Street SE, a few blocks east of the U.S. Capitol between North Carolina Avenue SE and C Street SE. The Eastern Market is on the National Register of Historic Places. Badly damaged by an early-morning fire on April 30, 2007, the market building reopened on June 26, 2009.
Eastern Market also marks a smaller community within the Capitol Hill neighborhood by serving as an anchor point for other nearby stores and restaurants. It is served by a nearby eponymous stop on the Washington Metro Blue and Orange Lines.
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[edit] History
The Eastern Market was designed by Adolf Cluss and was in continuous operation as a public market from 1873 until April 30, 2007. It was the first in a larger city-owned public market system, initiated to urbanize Washington, make orderly provision for the distribution of goods to its residents, and serve as a magnet to draw residents. The Market was expanded in 1908 with the addition of the Center and North Halls designed by Snowden Ashford. At the start of the 20th century, the Eastern Market was recognized as the unofficial "town center" of Capitol Hill. It is the last of the city's public markets still in operation.
The market nearly closed because of competition from grocery store chains and a decline in neighborhood investment. Local residents fought to keep it open, and the area has since been revitalized. Eastern Market continues to host a thriving farmers' market. Fresh meats, baked goods and cheeses are sold from indoor stalls, and fresh produce is sold outside along the tent-covered sidewalk. Artisans and antiques dealers also sell their goods outside the market on weekends, making Eastern Market a popular stop for locals as well as tourists. The Market 5 Gallery organizes art shows, music and theater performances, and craft sales at the Eastern Market.
[edit] 2007 fire
Eastern Market was badly damaged by an early-morning 3-alarm fire on April 30, 2007.[2] The heaviest damage was in the South Hall of the market, the portion occupied by vendors' stalls, where the roof suffered a partial collapse. The Washington Post has described the South Hall as "gutted so badly that birds can now fly in through the front windows and out the back ones."[3] Following the fire, Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty promised to rebuild the market.[4] The outdoor weekend market was disrupted but never closed. Many of the food vendors re-opened for business within weeks of the fire, selling their products outside of the building. In August 2007, the city completed a temporary market annex, known as the "East Hall," on the opposite side of 7th Street, on the grounds of Hine Junior High School. This housed the vendors until the reopening of the market building, with a ribbon-cutting on June 26, 2009.
The origin of the fire is officially filed as "undetermined". However, former D.C. fire investigators Gerald Pennington and Greg Bowyer have suggested the fire was deliberately set by suspect Joel Ramos.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ Klein, Allison; Keith Alexander; Michelle Boorstein. "2 Fires Ravage Eastern Market, Georgetown Library in 12 Hours". The Washington Post, May 1, 2007
- ^ Kennicott, Philip. "Eastern Market, Corner Store And Cornerstone". The Washington Post, May 1, 2007.
- ^ "Fire Damages Historic Eastern Market". www.myfoxdc.com, April 30, 2007
- ^ "Two D.C. Firefighters Claim Arson in Eastern Market Fire".
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eastern Market |
- Eastern Market official site
- Market 5 Gallery official site
- Eastern Market historical landmark, at the National Park Service site
- Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee site
- Save Eastern Market, a website dedicated to news and information about the fire and rebuilding effort
- YouTube video HD video of the Eastern Market shortly after re-opening
