This lecture is part of two series:
When Washington was built, the streets in the Northeast quadrant were laid out in the grid system designed by Pierre L’Enfant, with Florida Avenue (then known as Boundary Street) forming the northern border of the city. However, nearly all of the land remained undeveloped in the early 19th century, used as farmland to cultivate fruits and vegetables for the more developed sections of the city.
In the 1830s, the B&O Railroad constructed its Washington Branch, which entered the city at roughly 9th and Boundary Streets and proceeded through the neighborhood to the downtown area. Its presence gradually led Northeast to evolve into a working-class neighborhood: wood and coal yards appeared to serve the railroad and its terminals, with houses subsequently built for the employees of the railroad industries. Sites covered in the series include those with historic connections to the railroad and public markets, as well as education and social change, a president, and a neighborhood once known as Swampoodle.
Featured Topic: Union Market
When the old Centre Market was torn down in 1931 to make way for the National Archives, many of its businesses relocated and created a new venue, Union Terminal Market at 4th Street and Florida Avenue. N.E., an area close to the B&O freight terminal and highways to Maryland. The 20th century brought many changes to the market and the neighborhood, not all of them good. EDENS, a commercial shopping development group, took over the site, and a newly revitalized Union Market has become a vibrant mix of retail, restaurants, entertainment, and an incubator space for new food concepts.
Tiffany Branum, a human geographer and market vendor, discusses her research study from Union Market: A Story of People and Food in a Changing Place.
