Image on the left, taken the morning of the Eastern Market fire, April 30, 2007. At right, the same view in the evening on April 15, 2008. Both photos by erin m

It was one year ago today that District residents awoke to the sad news that a fire had torn through Eastern Market’s South Hall, displacing the many food vendors who called the historic building home and shuttering a favorite weekend destination. And though the city reacted quickly and constructed the East Hall, a temporary structure across the street, progress on the $20 million renovation of the South Hall has proceeded slowly.

So far, only the roof on the South Hall is close to completion. Officials from the Office of Property Management reported to the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee on March 26 that the hall’s roof would be completed by May 20, with window replacements to be finished by June 2. (Both are behind schedule as is, and there are even rumors that the roof won’t really be done until late June.) The rest of the renovations, though, have yet to start. On April 10, the D.C. Council approved an $8.1 million contract with Forney Enterprises, four months after they had promised to identify and approve a contractor for the bulk of the work that needs to be done. The contract allows Forney 400 days to complete the work, though the firm has stated that it will not use the full time allowed in the contract. Regardless, a council staffer we talked to indicated that any re-opening would likely come in spring or early summer of 2009, months past the original plan of having the South Hall back and running by January 2009.