Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-04-04
The Markef-House Question.

The Market House Question.
IL Is a fact of some significance that the bill
giving the franchise TO erect q new market-house
on the site Of the present Centre Market to Q
private company, passed the House OF Repre-
sentafives unanimously, and that the Senate
Committee Public Buildings and Grounds,
composed of men of the character and ability Of
Messrs. Morrill,, Trumbull and others, have,
after a full hearing Of all the arguments that
could be urged for or against the bill by the d
verse interests concerned, determined to re-
port the bill to the Senate. One of the main
reasons that has aetuated Congress in the mat
ter We ind TO be, that the plan of the building
commended itself most favorably to the mem
bers. IL has been q fatal objection to other
plans proposed that they contemplated low
squatty building. with ali the nuisances and In.
congruities Of market business perpetuated on
the avenue front but here was the plan of q
stately structure, five stories high, surmounted
by Mansard roof, and extending from Seventh
street to Ninth street; shutting out all often
sive sights and smells Inappropriate to the
great thoroughfare Of the Nations Capitol.
The great width Of Pennsylvania avenue makes
IL requisite that the buildings upon 1t should
have a corresponding height. and especially
when the building has any extent of street front.
Any one-story building, or one story with q hall
after the plan of the Maryland Institute, as has
been proposed. would look fearfully mean and
squstty extended along the avenue from It'll
street to 9th street. Congress has no sympathy
with any Of the squabbles of the contending in
terests for this franchise, but has favored the
House bill because IL seems to propose In good
faith to carry out great improvement, and to
abate q great nuisance.
From what we can gather of public opinion
about us, the bulk of the people of the city will
~ -. St.x 4:
amended by the Senate Committee. One of
these amendments increases the amount of
ground-rent to be paid to the Corporation by
the compsny-in fact nearly doubles the amount.
This is q proper amendment, as the sum named
in the House bill was too small The amend
ment giving certain rights to the stall-owners
also seems fair and proper.
No doubt many of our citizens would prefer
that the market building should be controlled
by the corporation rather than by private COM
pany, but there is general feeling that the
corporation will not and cannot undertake to
erect the sort Of editice needed for this conspic
uous position on Pennsylvania avenue; certainly
nothing on the magnificent scale proposed by
the House bill. There is a general belief, also,
that If the House bill is defeated the project of
having a handsome, creditable building there
will end in smoke. We doubt if the
building, mp stairs, will be adapted to
hotel purposes, but that Is the lookout of
the corporatOrs- That the other hotel keepers
and merchants adjacent will object to the com
petition fIom a hotel and stores in tn market
house building we doubt. The tendency of the
hotel business has been lately up the Avenue
towards the West End, and anything that will
serve to check that movement will be of aiyan-
tage TO downtown hotels The same may be
said Of the market stores. A break in the line
Of business HOUSES on a street is al Ways con-
sidered a positive disadvantage to business on
that street; aud We have no doubt that q line of
stores on the market front from Tth street to 9Th
street, would help the general business of the
Avenue and serve to check any tendency of
trade IN leave thar street for the st-aats north
of IT,
HIt can be shown that the market-men will not
really have sufH ~is-t g. h..ss-oss, q,
the stores are placed on the market front, the
bill might be amended so As to do away with the
store feature; but in that event the proviso
should be made that no market business shall
be done on the Avenue front-that the present
barn-yard in front, with its cows, and calves and
sheep; its meat wagons, soap sellers, sellers of
old iron, curbstone dealers in sassafras bark and
and all that sort of things shall be
excluded from the Avenue.
Ii has been objected that by the bill one
man can subscribe for all the stock. Ii this be
90 IL should be amended We trust also tina the
specifications of the bill may be made so precise
and definite that the company will be pinned
down to the construction Of q bull ding entirely
up to the mark of their plan.
The objection is made that in the new market
there twill be no iRsid> room for the two or
three hundred horses and carriages pertaining
to market business" This objection does not
seem to be a fatal one. Because the present old
rookery embraces within its struggling circuit
of sheds a sort of barn-yard where horses and
vehicles are coralled on market days, and which
yard is delightfully."- paved with manure, floating
straw, dead kittens, rotten eggs, sinking fish,
and rubbish Of all sorts, il does not follow that
a bill may be wholly Objectionable that fails to
perpetuate this feature of our unique market.
We should like TO know What market-house in
any other city in the civilized world makes
tHside provision for I" two or three hundred
horses and carriages'l The House bill pro-
peses q court within the market, and il may
provide accommodation for the horses and carts;
but We should hope il would be an improvement
upon the present barn-yard. IL is also urged
that the city will lose a large income received
from the present Center Market, and this in
come, IL Is usually alleged, amounts to $4,000
because the corporation, in its present impecu-
NOUS state, Is certainly not in condition to
have any sources OF revenue cut OF. As q mat
ter Of interest at this time, we take from the Of
fetal documents the following figures, showing
the gross and net revenues OF the corporation
from all the markets Of the city for the last ten