Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-16
LAST OF MARKETS
DOOMED TO RAZ|NG
AS BIDS ARE ASKED
WreCking Work Due to Start
Soon After April |, When
Tenants VaCate.
3 SQUARES TO COMPRISE
JUSTICE BUILDING SITE
Produce Merchants Forced Out of
Old Stands to Other Sec
lions of City.

The last part of Washington's well
known old market center in the down.
town area today was doomed to de-
struction when bids were asked for the
demolition of all the buildings in the
area bounded by Ninth and Tenth
streets and by Constitution and Penn
Sylvania avenues.
This site is to be used for the monu-
mental new S10,000,000 Department Of
Justice Building, which is to rise soon
on the location.
The bids will be opened in the office
of the supervising architect of the
Treasury Monday afternoon, March %.
at o'clock The contract to be let Will
provide for wrecking the entire area,
which includes three squares, known as
squares $50, 381 and 382.'
Will Be Last to Go.
On this site there has been located
for many years an array of market men,
commission men, poultry merchants and
stores.
With the breaking up of this area
goes the last of the old market CEN
ter, which began disappearing from the
Federal triangle several years ago when
the old Farmers Market sheds were
tOlIl dONll W lildhC way lDA Il4E AlCM Ill
ternal Revenue Building. These old
farmers sheds were long shelters under
which the farmers from the nearby
country drove to sell their produce di-
rect to buyers They used to run from
Tenth to Twelfth streets between B and
c streets.
Following the disappearance of the
old Farmers Market. the old Center
Market proper, which for years had
been under the direction of the De-
partment of Agriculture, was vacated
and is now being torn down to make
way for the new Archives Building.
Now the last of the market center to
go viii be the area intended for the
new Department of Justice Building.
Already commission merchants have
moved out of their places of business in
the row of stands facing Constitution
avenue. between Ninth and Tenth streets.
They have gone principally to two
places, it was learned today-to the
new Union Market Terminal at Fifth
and Florida avenue northeast and to
the Southwest market site on Water
street.
Merchants Must vacate.
Along Louisiana avenue, on the south
side, however. long row Of merchants
today were still selling their meats,
vegetables and fruits to the public.
VI l4AESG HIGH are SOnlS W SOu-
vention Hall and some to new loca-
ticn near Fifth and K streets opposite
Convention Hall Market Some are
going to the Southwest site and others
to the Patterson tract and elsewhere.
On the north side of Louisiana ave-
nue., and running around the corner on
Tenth street, is the line of chicken
merchants and commission merchants
Some of them already have moved.
Some plan to go to the northeast mar
ket terminal, others to the southwest
site and few to scattered locations.
One of the old landmarks which will
be torn down to make way for the
Department of Justice will be the old
Bijou Theater. formerly known as
Ford's Opera House.
Work to Start in April.
All occupants of the area are to be
out by April i, and the destruction work
will probably start shortly thereafter.
Following the clearing of the site. it is
expected another contract will be let
for the foundation, and then a third
Tor the construction of the superstruc-
ture Of the Department Of Justice
Building. Already drilling has been
started about the site to determine the
nature of the subsoil for foundation
purposes.
Plans for the Department of Justice
are being drawn by the architectural
flrm Of Zantzinger, Bori 81 Medary of
Philadelphia.