Before There Was CityVista
23 02 2011Once located on the current site of the City Vista development on Fifth Street, NW between K and L, stood the architecturally stunning Northern Liberty Market. During the turn of the last century, our city was once filled with grand market buildings like this one, serving the residents year round. Unfortunately the building was demolished in 1985, which was a loss of a real architectural gem in our opinion!
It’s always curious how other major cities around the world like London, Paris, and others managed to keep many of the similar style buildings from the time period preserved, while the District has knocked almost all of them down! At least the new City Vista has some good food options!
[Photo: WashingtonTimes]
Seeing an amazing structure like this that was demolished makes me sad, our city lacks a great food hall like so many other cities have (eastern market is too small to count), even places like Philly and Cleveland still have huge amazing historic markets, totally unfair to a foodie like me living in DC!
This is insane – wasn’t aware. Seems to me that demolishing a building like this is like taking away the soul of the city. And honestly, albeit key in revitilizing the area, City Vista is a complete hugly complex. Ugh.
You can read an in-depth article about the old building at http://bit.ly/auI6tk
We do still have Eastern Market. And the Old Post Office Pavilion on Pa. Avenue could function as a beautiful downtown market in the Federal Triangle.
That’s why when we hear of buildings that are endangered it is important to speak up. This sort of thing still can and does happen.
Amen GW alum. Its a shame buildings like this were destroyed and so many Brutalist cinder-block government edifices erected in their place.
But the good news is that there are still so many left that could be the centerpiece for revivals. Like the Old Post Office, so underutilized, but with so much potential.
Take the magnificent Chicago-style Government Printing Office buildings on North Capitol near Union Station. Eventually, one day, printing documents will be a thing of the past. While the government unions will kick and scream about their old-fashioned printing jobs being eliminated, technology moves on.
But the buildings could become luxury hotels, condos, etc. that would boost the NoMA bid corridor, soon to be home to NPR, etc.
Thankfully, there now are people who are concerned with preservation of buildings, not just just concerned with how many people are employed within.
Maybe some day we’ll build buildings as lovely as these.
NCPC is currently studying how to enliven the Federal Triangle – so start with making the Old Post Office Pavilion a big city market! This would be great for visitors and residents.
I have a pair of doors from that old market building if anybody wants them. Not for free of course.
[...] the future. We are pulling for a plan that includes a massive food hall/market (one like the city used to be filled with)! Proposals are due this summer, so we will see how things shape up, but smart money is probably on [...]
[...] are already over 30 vendors signed up to fill up the market and our city has never really regained the large food centric markets that used to be all over the city (like the Northern Liberty Market), and that are common in other world capital cities like London and Paris. [Credit: Eden [...]
The loss of this building was senseless as the space lay empty for 20 years. On the bright side, City Vista has revitalized the entire neighborhood and is an unquestionable success.
While I hate to see the loss of buildings, I can take solace i knowing that what replaced it spurred enormous investment in a neighborhood that was previously parking lots and homeless shelters.
By 2014, Mt Vernon will again be a vibrant city neighborhood which still has stunningly beautiful buildings and rowhouses North of New York Ave bordered by 7th to the West, N St. to the North, and 2nd to the East.