Eastern Market, RIP
Monday April 30, 2007
Really sad news this morning: the historic Eastern Market on Washington's Capitol Hill burned down last night. I used to shop there when I lived on the Hill, and loved it. The WaPo's Marc Fisher gets it right in this...
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Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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I remember when they were planning to build the Convention Center in Philadelphia some years ago. The first plans involved tearing down the Reading Terminal Market and building the Convention Center on the site. Some people pointed out the follow of destroying something unique to the city in order to build something that nearly every city has. Fortunately, they were able to adjust the plans to save the Reading Terminal Market.
That makes me tremendously sad. We've only just recently discovered it, and we intended to continue to enjoy it for years to come.
Apparently, they're going to try to rebuild, although it will take a long while and how successful it will be is still up in the air. Hopefully something similar will be left there--there's no better place in DC to buy delicious fruit and cheese, especially close to the Metro.
I remember back in the early '80s going to the Eastern Market, near where my daughter and I lived. It was a bit pricey, but always fun. Of course, I remember the long-gone Washington Market near the docks in New York, too. That goes back to my boyhood. No doubt they'll put up a Costco or a Home Depot, now. "When the country's going to Hell in a handbasket, sell handbaskets."
God Bless the Reading Terminal Market (but I still mourn the loss of Siegfried's European Deli).
I heard about the fire on the news but didn't realize the building had burned down.
I lived on Capitol Hill for 10 years, and for much of that was only five blocks from Eastern Market. This was the only place on the Hill where it was possible to get pretty good meat and fish. What a terrible thing. I hope it wasn't an arson fire, but wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be.
And, the Georgetown Library also had a bad fire yesterday, with many books and historic papers and art damaged or destroyed.
Yesterday, I also read the news stories about George Tenet's book, in which he revealed Al Qaeda's plans to detonate a nuclear device in NYC.
Reflecting on this last night, I thought how so many things we take for granted, like the City of New Orleans or Eastern Market, can vanish, or be significantly altered, in an instant.
How nothing is guaranteed, and hence we have to value and not take for granted, everything we are given, because life is a precious gift.
Heard about that. Very, very sad. Also heard the structure is still in place, although gutted. There's talk that they're planning to restore it. Let's hope.
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