The Eastern Market is a public market in the

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

neighborhood of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, housed in a 19th-century brick building. Eastern Market was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1971. It is located on 7th Street, S.E., a few blocks east of the

U.S. Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is form ...

between North Carolina Avenue SE and C Street SE. Badly damaged by an early-morning fire in 2007, the market building reopened in the summer of 2009 following an extensive renovation. 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 the nearby

Washington Metro The Washington Metro (or simply Metro), formally the Metrorail,Google Books search/preview

Eastern Market (station) on the

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, and Silver Lines.

Overview

Eastern Market is part of ward 6 of DC's 8 wards. Nestled in what is known as the

neighborhood, this is the area bounded by North and South Capitol Streets on the west, 15th street on the east and H street on the north and by the Southeast southwest Freeway. Working adults, singles and families with young children largely populate the neighborhood of town houses. This is an old fashioned neighborhood where residents can do their shopping on a daily basis. Currently managed under the guidance of interim manager Barry Margeson. The

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

of Eastern Market has one of the most diverse markets in the nation. It hosts up to 100 exhibitors from five continents. The market participates in a host of holiday and seasonal events to attract visitors, award prices and offer certificates and include those who live in the area into the community. Presently Eastern Market is being met with proposals for renovation. The goal of the renovation plan is to link 8th Street's

Barracks Row Barracks Row is a commercial strip along 8th Street SE that connects the Navy Yard and Capitol Hill neighborhoods in the Southeast Quadrant of Washington, D.C. south of Eastern Market between M St. SE and Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The area takes i ...

and Eastern Market in order to create a community gathering space. Beyond the Flea Market, Eastern Market is also known for its cultural attractions, which include the

Folger Shakespeare Library The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare material ...

and theater and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. Eastern Market's North Hall has been a premiere destination for hosting memorable events and can be rented for weddings and other occasions. Eastern Market has been featured in scenes of movies including ''Body of Lies'' (2008) and ''Mercury Rising'' (1998).

History

Original market

The first Eastern Market was one of three public marketplaces included in

Pierre L'Enfant Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant (; August 2, 1754June 14, 1825) was a French-American military engineer who designed the basic plan for Washington, D.C. (capital city of the United States) known today as the L'Enfant Plan (1791). Early life an ...

plan A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal. F ...

for the city, to supplement existing markets in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

and Georgetown. The plan also called for a Center Market and a

Western Market :''Western Market is also a former name for Plaza Miserere.'' Western Market is one of the oldest structures in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The current structure, built in 1906, was the North Block of the original Western Market ...

. In 1805,

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

issued a proclamation calling for Eastern Market to be set up at

7th 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...

and L Streets SE, near the Navy Yard. The original market received heavy fire damage during the British attack of 1814. It was repaired and remained active until the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

caused a disruption of supplies. During the war, farmers from southern Maryland set up their own marketplace on the opposite side of the

Anacostia River The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. ...

. The market fell into disrepair, and was nearly abandoned. An 1871 newspaper account called it a "disgraceful shed."

1873 relocation

The current Eastern Market was designed by

Adolf Cluss Adolf Ludwig Cluss (July 14, 1825 – July 24, 1905) also known as Adolph Cluss was a German-born American immigrant who became one of the most important, influential and prolific architects in Washington, D.C., in the late 19th century, respons ...

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 Snowden Ashford (1866–1927) was an American architect who worked in Washington, D.C., his native city. Born on January 1, 1866, Ashford was educated at Rittenhouse Academy and at the Christian Brothers Roman Catholic school. He studied archit ...

. 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 A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

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 A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...

. 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.

2007 fire and aftermath

Eastern Market was badly damaged by an early-morning 3-alarm fire on April 30, 2007. 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 ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' has described the South Hall as "gutted so badly that birds can now fly in through the front windows and out the back ones." Following the fire, Washington, D.C., Mayor

Adrian Fenty Adrian Malik Fenty (born December 6, 1970) is an American politician who served as the sixth mayor of the District of Columbia. He served one term, from 2007 to 2011, losing his bid for reelection at the primary level to Democrat Vincent C. Gray ...

promised to rebuild the market. 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 Washington, D.C., Fire and Emergency Services Department determined officially that the fire originated outside of the Eastern Market between a dumpster and the exterior of the west wall, and that the fire was caused by an electrical failure on the electric supply wire for a nearby trash compactor. However, former D.C. fire investigators Gerald Pennington and Greg Bowyer have suggested the fire was deliberately set by suspect Joel Ramos.Two D.C. Firefighters Claim Arson in Eastern Market Fire
. Eastern Market - interior

Eastern Market reopened its doors on June 26, 2009, after two years of reconstruction work. On March 9, 2010 the renovation of the market received the Outstanding Project Award from the Structural Engineering Association of Metropolitan Washington in April. The Market has already received an "Honor Award" in the design category and has been recognized as a National Finalist by the American Counsel of Engineering Companies of Metropolitan Washington. The restoration process was a detailed and challenging effort to re-purpose and salvage various components of the critically damaged building. Among many innovative improvements, the historic roof was restored and state of the art equipment was installed. The design allowed the previously hidden historic skylight to be reintroduced as a prominent architectural feature of the new Eastern Market South Hall. Renovation was overseen by the Department of Real Estate Services and coordinated with Robert Silman Associates and Quinn Evans Architects. Mayor Adrian Fenty moved to have 7th Street, in front of the market, closed to vehicle traffic on the weekends to function as a "pedestrian plaza."

References

External links

{{commons category, Eastern Market
Eastern Market Official Website
* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgTZSv9U3G4&feature=channel_page YouTube videoHD video of the Eastern Market shortly after re-opening Buildings and structures in Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill Commercial buildings completed in 1871 Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Food markets in the United States Retail markets in the United States Italianate architecture in Washington, D.C.