O Street Market
1400 7th St., NW., Washington, DCThe o Street Market is historically significant because it is one of the three remainingnineteenth-centuryy public markets in the city; exemplifies the large, functional,well-designedd market buildings erected in the District of Columbia under the massive public works campaign headed by Alexander "Boss" Shepherd, and; represents a distinctive commercial structure with Victorian details. Except for the decade following the 1968 riots, the o Street Market has served continuously as a market for more than a century.
After the Civil War, Washington sought to replace itssmall-townn image. The new territorial government of the District of Columbia determined the need for substantial physical improvements. Alexander Shepherd, the self-appointed head of thefive-mann Board of Public Works, sought to change Washington from a poorly paved, unattractive city into a model and beautiful capital. The improvements included laying sewer and water lines, grading and paving streets, planting trees, and removing unsightly nuisances.
The city's older public markets fell under the last category. Thedilapidatedd markets were razed amid protests by the stall owner, but were replaced bywell-designedd, brick markets. Shepherd organized the construction of public markets throughout the most heavily populated areas of the city. After Shepherd ordered the demolition of the Northern Liberties Market in 1872, for health code violations, the city benefited, albeit a decade later, from the construction of O Street Market.
The Northern Liberties Market opened in 1843, after petitions from residents to the City Council. It was located on the east side of Mount Vernon Square, the reservation located at the intersection of 7th, 9th, and K Streets and New York and Massachusettes Avenues, NW. The market took its name from the local neighborhood known as Northern Liberties, approximately bounded by 3rd, 15th, G, and O Streets, NW. At this time, very few people lived north of M Street, thus the term "northern" was logistically appropriate. From the outset, Northern Liberties Market was popular. However, its success led to hazardous health conditions. In 1860, residents petitioned for its removal.
In 1872, the year after the opening of a new and improved Center Market located at 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Shepherd turned his attention to the Nothern Liberties Market dilemma. The government purchased Square 446 (bounded by 6th, 7th, o, and P Streets, NW) from William W. Corcoran, the noted Washington banker, and philanthropist, and arranged for displaced merchants to temporarily relocate to the site in former Civil War barracks.' Shepherd ordered the demolition of the Northern Liberties Market, at Mount Vernon Square. The vendors, however, refused to vacate the site. As a result, Shepherd had the market demolished on September 3, 1872, at 8 p.m. Several people were killed when the destruction occurred.
Some of the outraged merchants joined with other businessmen and formed the Northern Liberty Market Company. They purchased the west half of "Savage Square," bounded by K, L, 5th, and 4th Streets, for $110,000 from the daughters of George Savage on January 27, 1874. The following June, the Company commissioned the architect James H. McGill to construct the Northern Liberty Market. The market opened in January 1875. The Victorian design included towers, dormers, belt courses, keystones, and rich brickwork. The one-story building oçcupied 41,600 square feet and housed 284 stalls that were rented for $5.90 per month. This market was never very successful because the public deemed it too far from the main commercial artery, 7th Street.
In 1881, the Northern Liberties Market Company was formed to construct a market on 7th Street. The Company purchased part of the block bounded by O, P, 7th, and 8th Streets, NW. During the first half of the 1800s, the block belonged to Michael Hoover, a butcher. the property around 1845 to Andrew Rothwell, a printer, who improved the property with beautiful gardens. The property was popularly known as "Rothwell's Gardens." On May 31, 1881, the Northern Liberties Market Company applied for a permit to build a one-story brick market, 95' x 150', at an estimated cost of $15,000. To avoid confusion with the other markets, the new building was called o Street Market.
The building permit was signed by the president of the Company, Jesse B. Wilson. Wilson and other members of the Company purchased the market for investment purposes, as most of the Company's officers were not merchants, and also served as the president of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Central Free Dispensary. Other officers included Ruben B. Detrick, chief of the internal revenue collectors division; William A. Cook, a lawyer; Henry J. Daly of Daly & Cummingham, liquor dealers; Christian Ruppert, dealer in toys and fancy goods; and, William B. Downing, a master carpenter and builder. Two members of the Company were also merchants with stalls at the O Street: Henry Weyrich, a butcher, and J. M. Eiker, a butter merchant.
When O Street Market was constructed, the neighborhood was comprised of a mixture of races and socioeconomic classes. The neighborhood included whites, blacks, and Germans who were government employees, skilled and unskilled laborers, as well as merchants. The market maintained a bustling clientele at the turn of the century. By the 1920s, the neighborhood became almost completely inhabited by blacks. As a result, black businesses began to develop along 7th, 9th, and 14th Streets (up to U Street) and between 7th and 14th Streets on U Street to service their community. After World War II, the physical condition of the market, as well as the neighborhood, began to deteriorate. The 1968 riots caused the market to close, although no serious damage occurred to the building. The closing of the market and other shops on 7th Street left the community without sufficient commercial shopping facilities.
In 1974, the O Street Market was part of a two-block redevelopment project, the first of major commercial redevelopment plans for the Shaw Urban Renewal Area. The market was partially restored and rehabilitated by the Redevelopment Land Agency under the auspices of the District of Columbia's Department of Housing and Community Development. In 1977, the o Street Market, along with the entire block bounded by 7th, 9th, O, and P Streets was sold to the entrepreneur James C. Adkins for commercial development of the land and further rehabilitation of the market. The O Street Market formally reopened on February 23, 1980.
Local significance of the building:
After the Civil War, Washington sought to replace itssmall-townn image. The new territorial government of the District of Columbia determined the need for substantial physical improvements. Alexander Shepherd, the self-appointed head of thefive-mann Board of Public Works, sought to change Washington from a poorly paved, unattractive city into a model and beautiful capital. The improvements included laying sewer and water lines, grading and paving streets, planting trees, and removing unsightly nuisances.
The city's older public markets fell under the last category. Thedilapidatedd markets were razed amid protests by the stall owner, but were replaced bywell-designedd, brick markets. Shepherd organized the construction of public markets throughout the most heavily populated areas of the city. After Shepherd ordered the demolition of the Northern Liberties Market in 1872, for health code violations, the city benefited, albeit a decade later, from the construction of O Street Market.
The Northern Liberties Market opened in 1843, after petitions from residents to the City Council. It was located on the east side of Mount Vernon Square, the reservation located at the intersection of 7th, 9th, and K Streets and New York and Massachusettes Avenues, NW. The market took its name from the local neighborhood known as Northern Liberties, approximately bounded by 3rd, 15th, G, and O Streets, NW. At this time, very few people lived north of M Street, thus the term "northern" was logistically appropriate. From the outset, Northern Liberties Market was popular. However, its success led to hazardous health conditions. In 1860, residents petitioned for its removal.
In 1872, the year after the opening of a new and improved Center Market located at 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Shepherd turned his attention to the Nothern Liberties Market dilemma. The government purchased Square 446 (bounded by 6th, 7th, o, and P Streets, NW) from William W. Corcoran, the noted Washington banker, and philanthropist, and arranged for displaced merchants to temporarily relocate to the site in former Civil War barracks.' Shepherd ordered the demolition of the Northern Liberties Market, at Mount Vernon Square. The vendors, however, refused to vacate the site. As a result, Shepherd had the market demolished on September 3, 1872, at 8 p.m. Several people were killed when the destruction occurred.
Some of the outraged merchants joined with other businessmen and formed the Northern Liberty Market Company. They purchased the west half of "Savage Square," bounded by K, L, 5th, and 4th Streets, for $110,000 from the daughters of George Savage on January 27, 1874. The following June, the Company commissioned the architect James H. McGill to construct the Northern Liberty Market. The market opened in January 1875. The Victorian design included towers, dormers, belt courses, keystones, and rich brickwork. The one-story building oçcupied 41,600 square feet and housed 284 stalls that were rented for $5.90 per month. This market was never very successful because the public deemed it too far from the main commercial artery, 7th Street.
In 1881, the Northern Liberties Market Company was formed to construct a market on 7th Street. The Company purchased part of the block bounded by O, P, 7th, and 8th Streets, NW. During the first half of the 1800s, the block belonged to Michael Hoover, a butcher. the property around 1845 to Andrew Rothwell, a printer, who improved the property with beautiful gardens. The property was popularly known as "Rothwell's Gardens." On May 31, 1881, the Northern Liberties Market Company applied for a permit to build a one-story brick market, 95' x 150', at an estimated cost of $15,000. To avoid confusion with the other markets, the new building was called o Street Market.
The building permit was signed by the president of the Company, Jesse B. Wilson. Wilson and other members of the Company purchased the market for investment purposes, as most of the Company's officers were not merchants, and also served as the president of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Central Free Dispensary. Other officers included Ruben B. Detrick, chief of the internal revenue collectors division; William A. Cook, a lawyer; Henry J. Daly of Daly & Cummingham, liquor dealers; Christian Ruppert, dealer in toys and fancy goods; and, William B. Downing, a master carpenter and builder. Two members of the Company were also merchants with stalls at the O Street: Henry Weyrich, a butcher, and J. M. Eiker, a butter merchant.
When O Street Market was constructed, the neighborhood was comprised of a mixture of races and socioeconomic classes. The neighborhood included whites, blacks, and Germans who were government employees, skilled and unskilled laborers, as well as merchants. The market maintained a bustling clientele at the turn of the century. By the 1920s, the neighborhood became almost completely inhabited by blacks. As a result, black businesses began to develop along 7th, 9th, and 14th Streets (up to U Street) and between 7th and 14th Streets on U Street to service their community. After World War II, the physical condition of the market, as well as the neighborhood, began to deteriorate. The 1968 riots caused the market to close, although no serious damage occurred to the building. The closing of the market and other shops on 7th Street left the community without sufficient commercial shopping facilities.
In 1974, the O Street Market was part of a two-block redevelopment project, the first of major commercial redevelopment plans for the Shaw Urban Renewal Area. The market was partially restored and rehabilitated by the Redevelopment Land Agency under the auspices of the District of Columbia's Department of Housing and Community Development. In 1977, the o Street Market, along with the entire block bounded by 7th, 9th, O, and P Streets was sold to the entrepreneur James C. Adkins for commercial development of the land and further rehabilitation of the market. The O Street Market formally reopened on February 23, 1980.
Architecture; Commerce
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
The District was the site of the first U.S. public school for black students: The M Street School (later known as Dunbar High School) was founded in 1870 and was the first public school in the United States for black students. The school became known for its high academic standards and produced many notable alumni, including civil rights leader and educator Mary McLeod Bethune.