Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12
FINE ARTS BODY TO GIVE ADVICE
ON NEW LOCATION FOR. MARKET

complete stoppage of business in such
a market center. The retail stores
are mainly to the north and the
goods to reach them would nave 10
be hauled across such main arteries
of traffic as B street and Pennsyl-
Vania avenue and Massachusetts
avenue.
There is hardly a chance that the
center or retail market ever Will De
placed in the Southwest or river-front
location for these reasons. 1t Is likely
that some of the wholesalers who feel
they should have railroad sidings, Will
locate at the Potomac freight terml-
nails between Twelfth and Fourteenth
streets, Maryland avenue ana water
street. That will be through per
sonal. business choice and not by any
Governmental action. The president
Of the Southwest Washington Busl-
ness Mems Association announced
last night that no matter Where the
Government officials might decide 10
place the farmers market, there Will
be a farmers market on the water
front for the Virginia and southern
Maryland farmers.
Advantage of Midcity Site.
The midcity or Convention Hall
market site indicated as No. on
accompanying map) has big ad.
vantage in being near the center Oh
population and the geographical cen
ter of Washington. 1t has announcer
advantage in being near the New
York avenue freight yards and sur
rounded by three broad avenues of
traffic-New York. New Jersey and
! Massachusetts avenues. From dis
| tribution standpoint the midclty loca-
| ton for the retail market and Tor
such wholesalers as do not require
railroad sidings is ideal. 1t also af-
| fordS abundant space for farmers
| line, convenient at the same time 10
! commission houses and to the retain
trade at the Center Market. or the
approximately 500 farmers who now
do business at the farmers market
3O2 have signed petitions for a new
location near the present Convention
Hall Market site.
AS a matter of fact the District
officials are giving serious considera-
ton to a plan for giving the farmers
! q temporary stand near the Conven-
ton Hall Market on the square be-
| tween Fifth and Sixth, K streets and
| New York avenue, now occupied by
q lumber yard gasoline station and
| garages, and using also the triangle
north of New York avenue at Sixth
| street. now occupied by the old Alb
bolt School. The Abbott School was
! built in 1875 and originally was in
! tended as a fire engine house. 1t has
| been condemned several times. The
| Midcity Citizens Association and
other organizations of that neighbor-
hood have gone on record asking that
the Abbott School and the Webster
| School at Tenth and II streets, now
| used as an Americanization school,
neither of which have Fairgrounds.
| be sold because they occupy valuable
business sites and that the proceeds
| be used for building new schools out
side of the congested traffic zone.
Another advantage of the midcity
location is that it is already a well
known market center.
| The one big argument against the
Convention Hall site is that it is not
on railroad siding where wholesale
dealers could handle shipments more
economically. But this is offset by
it's proximity to the New York ave-
nue. freight yards of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, with capacity of
523 cars.
The vacant Patterson tract (No. 5
on the accompanying chart, although
it is advantageously located for ave-
nues Of transportation and contains
|
be out of the running because of
physical barriers against introduce
ing railroad sidings. There is some
opposition also from citizens asso-
Citations in that vicinity which want
this tract for park purposes. Pas
senger trains from Union Station
run along one side of this tract with
such frequency that it would be i'm
possible to get freight cars across
Pennsylvania Railroad officials ex-
plain that a study by their engl-
neers shows it would cost a prohibit
tive amount to run railroad tracks
into this area from the north side
after cutting down a big hill. Ever
then the Pennsylvania Railroad
would have to make a circuitous triE
over the Magruder Branch.
, Baltimore and Ohio officials say
they could run freight trains off the
Alexandria branch where they cross
he Pennsylvania tracks near Tuxedo
Neither railroad, however, seems te
. favor the Patterson tract, which they
certainly would if it were feasible to
, place warehouses in this area ada.
cent to their tracks.
! The lexington proposition ad