After a fire gutted Eastern Market last April, the stretch of 7th Street SE adjacent to the market building was closed off on weekends to accommodate vendors, construction of the temporary East Hall and reconstruction of the South Hall. In an interview on WTOP (link to audiostream) last week, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells said he wants to keep 7th Street that way. The Hill picked up the story on Wednesday, and the Hilleast…

If anyone was worried that the crowds wouldn’t come back to Eastern Market, fear not — they’re back, and in larger numbers than before. Today’s inauguration of the East Hall — the $1.5 million tent-like temporary structure that will house the displaced vendors until the South Hall is renovated — saw a steady crowd of shoppers and gawkers alike, including Mayor Adrian Fenty. Meanwhile, across the street the South Hall remained boarded up and…

Months after a fire gutted the interior of Eastern Market’s South Hall and almost destroyed the District landmark, vendors will be back in business tomorrow in a temporary structure built across the street. The structure, which looks like a big white tent, cost $1.5 million and will be used while $25 million in repairs are completed on the South Hall, a process that could take up to two years. We’re happy to see things slowly…

Construction of the temporary building at Eastern Market has begun, though somewhat behind schedule. The Examiner reports that the estimated opening date of the temporary building that will house the South Market vendors has been pushed back to mid-August, even though Mayor Fenty promised the vendors they’d have a new home by the end of July. According to the article, delays in construction have been caused by delays in manufacturing of the steel for the…

Dine Out for Eastern Market on Monday The outpouring of support for Eastern Market continues. On Monday, May 21, several restaurants on Capitol Hill will participate in Dining Out for Eastern Market, a “Dining Out for Life” style charity event where the restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s Eastern Market fund, which has raised $238,000 so far to assist the South Hall merchants while a temporary market…

Several hundred citizens turned out on Monday evening in support of the effort to quickly rebuild Eastern Market, and to share their feelings on a temporary location for the displaced vendors. Mayor Adrian Fenty, At-large council members David Catania and Phil Mendelson, Ward 6 council member Tommy Wells, city administrator Dan Tangherlini, and District 3 School Board member Lisa Raymond turned out to show their support too, as well as to canvass the opinions of…

Though the initial shock of seeing Eastern Market almost consumed by flames has passed, members of the community have ramped up fundraising efforts to ensure that the rebuilding begins as quickly as possible and the displaced vendors are cared for. On Tuesday, May 8, a number of bars will direct a percentage of their proceeds to the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, which is serving as focal point for Eastern Market-related fundraising efforts. So far,…

As I rode home last night, I took a quick detour past Eastern Market. Some 22 hours after the fire that ravaged the market’s South Hall had been reported, firefighters remained, hosing down the building and testing the its structural integrity. A crowd had gathered outside, most blankly staring at what would be an empty shell for the months to come. This morning, fencing had been erected around the building, decorated with U.S. and D.C….

When I read news that the historic Eastern Market had been on fire earlier this morning, I ran down as quickly as I could to take a closer look. The better part of the South Hall, which houses the market’s food vendors, was still smoky, holes punctured in its roof and smoke damage was evident even outside. Mayor Adrian Fenty was just finishing up a press conference, sadly noting that the city would do…

Pam the Butcher has dropped the moniker for the moment. After a lifetime of working with meat, Pam Ginsberg has laid down her cleaver to set up camp as cheese maven at Bowers’ Fancy Dairy Products in Eastern Market. Despite a bumpy transition, Ginsberg is content in her new residency across from her father’s former butcher’s stall in South Hall. Pam’s status as one of Northwest’s best butchers was established long before press accolades in…