Eastern Market's Place in the Neighborhood
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After the fire on Monday morning at Eastern Market [front page, May 1], throngs of people came together to show their support for the displaced vendors and to ruminate on the fate of a well-used and appreciated neighborhood institution. One would not find this kind of interest if a big-box store were to burn at a nondescript suburban strip mall.
Eastern Market is a spot of commercial life that doesn't force you to enter an asphalt desert packed with cars. It is a public zone that truly reflects the character of its neighborhood, not some ersatz Disney version of it.
The expression of community following the fire was bolstered by the appearance of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), who even before the embers had cooled, in what thankfully remains a beautiful structure, promised that his administration would see to the rebuilding of the market.
What is to be learned from the fire and the community reaction to it? It is that urban planners, developers, zoning officials, community leaders and the people who live in a neighborhood must work together to create, foster, preserve and support a unique commercial zone -- one that builds a sense of community, that can be walked to and that will become a desired destination rather than some soulless and lackluster pull-off from a commercial expressway.
MARK GRACE
Washington
