Construction starts on makeshift Eastern Market

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Mayor Adrian M. Fenty broke ground yesterday on a temporary facility that will house Eastern Market vendors while crews repair the historic building heavily damaged in a three-alarm fire last month.

The tentlike structure to be constructed on the grounds of Hine Junior High School will cost about $1.5 million and will open in July, the mayor said.

"Today we're breaking ground on a temporary location where vendors, merchants, and shoppers of the historic market can continue on the tradition of one of the District's most celebrated marketplaces," Mr. Fenty, a Democrat, told a crowd of about 100 area residents and merchants.

The southern section of the market was gutted in the early-morning fire on April 30. No one was hurt in the blaze, which was likely caused by electrical problems, fire officials said.

The temporary market is located at Seventh and C streets SE, across the street from the original building. The tent will house all 14 vendors from the market and will be equipped with electricity.

The city will spend an additional $1 million to buy equipment such as refrigerators and appliances, which will be used in the temporary building and transferred to the permanent market once it is completed.

D.C. Council member Tommy Wells thanked the mayor for his quick response to the fire and praised the community for banding together in support of rebuilding the market.

"I couldn't have been prouder of all of our community members as we've gone through this," said Mr. Wells, Ward 6 Democrat. "When challenged in a crisis, everyone came together."

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is seeking federal funding to help rebuild the market, praised Mr. Fenty's efforts to accommodate the vendors' need for refrigeration.

"As much as residents feel the loss of the market, we must remember first and foremost that it is the vendors who have lost everything," said Mrs. Norton, a Democrat and the District's nonvoting congressional representative.