Evening star., 1937-01-17
NEW AVENUE GREETS RETURNING FRIENDS OF CAPITAL
FAMILIAR LANDMARKS PASS
Some Places Which Have Been Known for Generations Belong
Only Memory-Links With Days of Gold Rush and With
Times When Shipping Flourished.
By John Clagen Proctor.

Bv John Claget Proctor.
TN MANY cities the general appear
ance Of the thoroughfares changes
but little in q few years, but with
Il Washington, the Capital of the
Nation, just a brief space Of time
makes q very decided difference. as
any one who has not been here for q
decade will agree, especially If he hap
pens to return about this time, when
30 many new projects have just been
completed.
Naturally, throughout the city he
will note innumerable changes which
may cause him to wonder, II, after all,
he is in the same old town, but when
he reaches Pennsylvania avenue and
sees the improvements which have
taken place on the south side, be-
tween the Capitol and the Treasury
where every block but one has under
gone an entire change in less than the
time mentioned-surely he will feel
dazed and bewildered.
To the native Washingtonian. or
those who make the District their
home, this change is not so noticeable,
but to those who attend this inaugura-
ton, and have not been here for sew
erAl years, the likelihood Of getting
lost may result in the need Of guide
to locate for them some of the sites OF
early landmarks which they could
readily have pointed out, but which
are now no longer in existence, and,
perhaps, one of the buildings which
will be missed most will be the old
Center Market, which occupied the
square bounded by Seventh and Ninth
streets and Constitution and Pennsyl-
vania avenues, where Is now located
the National Archives Building. where
the Government is supposed eventually
to house all of its valuable papers and
records-that is, If the building WILL
hold them all, which is doubtful, for
already much Of the available space
has been taken up.
DUT the old market-surely this
- noted building will ever be re-
called as long as there is an oldtlmer
left in the city, and 1t IS not idle to
say that many heart beat faster ana
that many a genuine tear was sneo
when the last vestige OF the struc-
ture-the tower at the corner OF
pennsylyania avenue and Seventh
street-eave way to blast OF dyna-
mite on February "a, nearly six years
ago.
AS we are accustomed to look upon
buildings, it was not q very OLD one
since 1t was not erected until SUISSE
ouent to May 20, 1870, when the ne"
market company was chartered by
Congress, as the tablet on the tower
before referred to, stated, giving aiso
other information about its capacity
and construction, as follows:
"The Washington Market Company,
Chartered by Act of Congress
May 20, 1870.
opened for Business July l, 1917.
dimensions of different sections Oh
Center Market structures:
seventh street wing, 200 feet by ~
feet: Ninth street wing, ZOO 1eet ny
78 feet; B street connection. a44 1ee'
nv a. feet: arcade building, II whole
sale stores. 274 feet by 40 feet; nortn
center wing, 81 feet by AZ feet; boiler
and pump house connections, "a 1eet
hv a. feet: iron buildings Tor prime
tanks. % by Al feet, and for electrlc
light machinery, 20 feet by Al 1eet'
eight hydraulic elevators 1or carrylils
products to and from cold storage
rooms and six artesian wells, yleloliis
r,,re cold water; total number OF stalls
inside main market, $685. iron bootns
under awnings, "a; spaces for farmers
tables on sidewalks, 100; wagon spaces
for actual producers in interior Oh
market grounds or on curbs. 200; totai
number Of spaces when 1uliy occupieu
by retail dealers, 1000.
THIS space was first used tor mar
l. ket purposes in the Fall OF l8ol'
and gradually grew from few snacks
IN rows of sheds. 1t Is claimed tnat
William Rudderforth, Scotch putch-
er. who resided at Greenlea1 Folht'
was the pioneer occupant of the mar
ket the next conner being Ezra Little,
nossibly the father Of John Little,
whose home for many years was on the
west side Of Columbia road near Nme-
teenth street. The earliest produce
dealers were Cruit, Cunningham, Oys-
ter Otterback, Steper and Batzal.
Early on the morning OF Decem-
ber II, 1870, the nondescript ouiio-
inps standing on this site were totally
DESTROYED by fire, and the press al
the time gave some interesting MIS-
tory of the buildings that had ex-
listed there, and, among other things,
stated that the site had been pre-
sented to the corporation OF wash
ington by David Burnes, one OF the
proprietors of the land now occupied
by the city, when it was decided to
the Federal Government in 1871, un-
der certain conditions.
About the year 1921" the account
goes on to say. finding that the ac-
commodations were insufficient, an ad-
dition was made by the erection OF
a building on the east, facing Sew
enth street, and which formed the l.
of the building. The next addition
made was the erection of frame
shed on Eighth street, which was used
for the fish market up to few years
ago. This was soon followed by the
building known of late years as the
'watchhouse,' which was used by the
clerk as q weigh h-house for pork, but
ter. etc. Then followed the erection
of what was known as the New Mar
ket,' the building between Eighth and
Ninth streets. which was put in some
time between the years 1928 and 1880.
Mr.. George Crandell, carpenter, being
the contractor. It remained unoc-
cupied for several years; the only
use being made of 1t was the shelter
1t afforded the cattle which then
roamed at large. It was finally in
augurated by Mr.. George Keating,
<~s, L.