Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-27
M|DC|TY MARKET
ADVANTAGE CITED
DriscoII and Others Declare
9Th and L Site Meets
Needs of All Involved.
BY WILL =. KENNEDY.

With paramount consideration for
the convenience of the majority of
residents of Washington, the special
co-ordinating committee, cooperating
with the City Planning Commission
in an intensive study as to where a
model municipal market center should
be established, are giving careful
thought to the special advantages of
the proposed midcity location, cen
tering about the present Convention
Hall Market at Fifth and l. streets
northwest.
Preliminary to this. the co-ordinat-
nGsfpminittee, which consists of Off
ciaf representatives from the Depart
ment of Agriculture and the present
Center Market management, of the
District Office of weights, measures
and markets and of the City Plan
ming Commission and the Federal
Office of Public Buildings and
Grounds, is in essential agreement on
two points:
First, a central public market is
needed in Washington more than i'm
most large cities because Washington
housekeepers have the marketing
habit developed over a period cover
ing practically the entire life of the
National Capital.
Convenience Chief Aim.
Second, the outstanding purpose of
the market is for the public conven-
iences-to be readily accessible to the
woman with basket, who goes to
market to buy food SUPPLIES for her
family.
Since it was the communicating of
the strip of land between Tenth and
Twelfth, B and Little B streets north
west, on which the farmers market
is now operated, to be used as part
of the site for the new Internal Reve-
nue. Building that started the plans
for a new model market center, there
must be secondary consideration as to
whether the proposed new site would
be easy of access for farmers from
Maryland and Virginia. who bring in
the fruits and vegetables. and whether
it would afford them an advantageous
location in which to sell their
produce.
1t is because the mid-city location,
with the Convention Hall Market as a
nucleus. meets these conditions espe-
cially we'll that the co-Ordinating COM
mittee, which Is now instructed to
make a careful detailed survey and
recommendations for submission to
the City Planning Commission about
October l, is now giving sympathetic
attention to the arguments advanced
by A. j. Driscoll, president of the
Mid-City Citizens Association, and
the group of prominent civic and bust
ness leaders who are urging that
model market center be established
between New York avenue and Massa-
chusetts avenue. Sixth street and New
Jersey avenue.
Financing Plan Ready.
Uncertainty as to where the va
riOus units of the market systematic
retail market, the farmers market,
the wholesale market, or commission
houses, with their following of re.
lated businesses and warehouses, may
be located has led to a fever of spec
ulation in getting options on parcels
Of real estate in all of the proposed
sections. To offset this imitation in
prices as regards the mid-city loca-
ton, Mr.. DriscOll says that he has
assurances that prominent civic and
business leaders interested in the de-
velopment OF that section of the Capt.
tai stand ready to finance the acquisi-
tion of land and erection thereon of
model market center, architecturally
uniform and attractive, with pro-
rated cost to all those who may de-
sire places of business within that
area, and without a cost of one dollar
to the Government.
What the Mid City Citizens want
is a model market center, which will
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