Eastern Market Reopens

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks

The District reopened the historic Eastern Market at a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 26. This was  followed by a community celebration the next day.

A longtime favorite of local flower vendors, farmers and craftspeople, the public market in the Capitol Hill neighborhood is housed in a charming 19th century brick building at 7th Street SE, a few blocks east of the Capitol. Eastern Market has long been on the National Register of Historic Places.

It was badly damaged by an early-morning fire on April 30, 2007. During renovations, food vendors are operating either outside the building or in a temporary building across the street.

This weekend's reopening events will mark the completion of the market’s renovation and recovery from fire damage caused two years ago, when it 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  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, Mayor Adrian Fenty 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. Two years ago, 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. It will house the vendors until the South Hall is reopened.

The origin of the fire is officially filed as "undetermined."

Contact the writer at jarundel@localkicks.com