Public Markets As Place Makers

http://archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-future-of-public-markets-and case.html#%2EVJ271XMaz2Q%Elinkedin

Lexington Market
Baltimore, Maryland
activerain.trulia.com

Hello Everyone:

One of blogger's favorite things is to grocery shop, cook, and eat great food.  This and an incurable sweet tooth is why blogger does Weight Watchers, but that is another story.  One of blogger's favorite places to grocery shop is a public market.  Public markets are foodie heaven, a veritable feast (slight pun intended) for the senses.  Try to mess with a public market and you'll have a rebellion on your hands.  What is so special about public markets?  In a recent blog post "The Future of Public Markets and the Case of the Lexington Market in Baltimore," Klaus Philipsen looks at how the market, as a building type, creates community.  Mr. Philipsen writes, "Markets do not only reflect history and the various methods of production and distribution, but also a succession of trends in urban development and planning."

Les Halles Market
Paris, France
gastronomica.org

During the middle ages, a town possessing a market right, made said town a real place.  Real in the sense the town had a center and a source of revenue.  The history books recognize the establishment of a public market as the founding date of a town.  In the industrial age, public markets were dismissed as "unsanitary, and with transportation and distribution blooming they were finally seen as inefficient."  This perception of the public market led to the demises of the Covent Garden Market in London and the 1969 demolition of Les Halles in Paris, which dated back to 1137, and the growth of wholesale "terminal" markets near railways and truck routes.  The "terminal" markets were simply more efficient distribution points, closed to the public, thus depriving a town of a place that served a social function.

Covent Garden Market (interior)
London, England
photography-london.com

Foodies in Paris and London still more the loss of the beloved Les Halles and Covent Gardens, the latter restored and populated by tourists darting in and out of brand name shops.  Other cities have been luckier, for example, Santiago, Chile's cast hall for the Mercado Central is still a vibrant place.  Barcelona, Spain is going strong with over forty public markets and is set to host the international public markets conference in 2015.

The United States also has its share of demolished public markets, some had a date with the wrecking ball, while others have been repurposed.  The City of Baltimore, Maryland is quite lucky with respect to the strong presence of public markets.  One example are the buildings on Market Place have been repurposed as a Children's Museum and a busy bar scene called the Power Plant Live.  Baltimoreans can point to the North Avenue Market is which slowly recovering after being closed for forty years. At present, small businesses, mostly galleries and restaurants, form the fledgling community of "creatives" in the Station North arts and entertainment district.  Mr. Philipsen reports, "Baltimore still has a good number of public neighborhood markets: Hollins Market, The Avenue Market, Cross Street Market, Broadway Market and Northeast Market, each one is an important anchor in their community."  Of all the public markets in Baltimore, the Lexington Market remains "the oldest continuously operating market in the country."

Interior of Lexington Market
playle.com

In 2005, a Project for Public Spaces event described the Lexington Market as:

...the story of Baltimore's markets would not be complete without mention of its most famous one-Lexington Market.  Nineteenth century accounts describe it as the hub of the city, where as many as 600 wagons would jam the area on Saturdays, when payday crowds of 50,000 men, women, and children went to the market.  It was Lexington Market that gave Baltimore, at on time, the reputation for being the gastronomical capital of the universe.  by 1925 over 1000 stalls under 3 block long sheds comprised the area, in an effort to curtail traffic congestion, as well as to attract a suburban clientele, streetcar service brought shoppers right to the door of the market.  Today, Lexington Market covers more than 100,000 square feet of retail space occupied by about 130 merchants.  In keeping with tradition, many of its stalls offer a variety of delicatessen and prepared foods to local business people, homemakers, and tourist who visit the market for a quick sample of its offerings.... (Helen Tangires, 2005, Project for Public Space)

Lexington Market rooftop
en.wikipedia.org

The Lexington Market is relatively close to the Convention Center and downtown Baltimore has soared to the top position in residential growth in the city and eighth among downtown throughout America in attracting the vaunted millennial demographic.  Despite this good news, the market has seen its customers fall away.  This has produced a good deal of hand wringing in the media and highlighted the challenges facing historic markets, requiring strong action in order to survive.  Klaus Philipsen writes, "A 2010 national Advisory Panel for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) had identified the Market as a key component for success in revitalizing the Westside, which was Baltimore's former retail hub."  In 2014, acknowledging the attention, the city hired a market consultant to study what actions need to take place.  The report will be published this year.  The need for a well function public market runs parallel to a number of trends:

Faidley's Seafood at the Lexington Market
meetup.com

Changes in retail make suburban supermarkets not only ever larger, but more and more like public markets with "streets" and "stores",...

Even in the recession "food" has proven to be a boom market with more money than ever spent on prepared foods

Interest in local, fresh and healthy food choices is increasing and farmers markets are springing up across the nation.

While suburban supermarket break ever new

Produce stall at the Lexington Market
thetimecrunchedtraveler.com

records in size and attractiveness, many US cities combat extensive "food deserts" caused by a dearth of urban supermarkets.

Developers, seeing the needs, respond with smaller private markets, such as Belvedere Market in Baltimore's northeast side near the county line, a fairly gentrified affair near affluent neighborhoods that needed to be rescued already once when it was in precipitous decline, but once again cherished by communities all around.

Urban supermarkets, like the wildly successful Whole Foods in Baltimore's glitzy downtown offshoot Harbor

Historic photograph of the Lexington Market
loc.gov

east or Harris Teeter at the new developments of McHenry Row and Canton Crossing, are testimony that modern grocers know how to thrive in cities but do little to overcome persisting food deserts in the poorer communities.

Fortunately planners's attitudes toward public markets have changed.  Markets are no longer considered dubious, unsanitary places, fraught with all sorts of unsavory activities that need to be relocated outside the city as in the case of London or Paris.  In contemporary times, urban designers and "place makers" (whatever they are) sing the praises "about the urbanity, the social capital and cohesion that comes from public markets."  Public markets have once again become a vital component of what a city is.  Mr. Philipsen considers this thought, "Maybe also a place where to reconnect with food that has become so estranged, its production so removed from our experience and its distribution so anonymous, just a packaged and weighed item to be picked up from a shelf to be scanned at the check out.  How different potentially the market experience where food can be touched, custom cut, sold with the flourish of a vendor who is proud of his or her products."

Strolling through the stalls at Lexington Market
flickr.com

Despite the poetry of Klaus Philipsen's musings, the line between the much loved "liveliness, diversity and urbanity, and seeing markets as somewhat raw and vulgar" is tenuous.  Old suspicions still linger in Baltimore.  The lack of sanitary facilities, nagging fears of drug deals, and unappealing surroundings still hold sway for people who do not patronize the Lexington Market.  In the interest of full disclosure, Mr. Philipsen's office is two blocks from the market and he writes, "I believe there are more sinister reasons why this particular market doesn't thrive."

Klaus Philipsen relates a story in which he and a visitor from South Africa were walking down the street when they chanced up sidewalk vendors peddling their wares.  Among the throb of people and street corner preacher were "clumps of folks blocking sidewalks for chats and possibly illicit exchange of 'red-tops' (http://www.urbandictionary.com) or the like,..."  The downtown residents, suburbanites, students and employees of the University of Maryland did not share the joy Mr. Philipsen's visitor felt over seeing a piece of home transported to the streets of Baltimore.  They felt threatened by activities.  In researching this article, Mr. Philipsen visited the market on a damp grey evening in the late autumn.  Like the more touristy Harborplace, it was deserted, once bustling with people and activity now devoid of all humanity.

Lexington Market 1895
lexingtonmarket.com

How doe we remedy the faltering markets?  Mr. Philipsen points to the example of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as "a great example of such of such a revival."  The consultants working on solutions for the Lexington Markets have leaked a few details.  Mr. Philipsen reports, "Their suggestions seem to aim at many of the physical features of this market, namely that its floor slops from Paca to Eutaw Street to meet each street at grade, feature  that makes the interior a bit unusual but is certainly appreciated by the many wheelchair users that can be seen in the market areas.  Leveling the floor would be probably the most drastic physical intervention short of leveling the whole building..."  While leveling the floors could make room for a two story atrium, creating a connection between the market levels and the subway stop.

Tasty treats
baltimorefoodchronicle.com

Klaus Philipsen reports, "Consultants, of course, also aim at the totally un-yuppified food selections, in which each baker (there are seven) has the same yellow cakes smothered in colorful oily frosting, and where there is more fried food than exotic fruit. " Not that there is anything wrong with over sugared oily frosting or fried food and even the most picky yuppie might enjoy fried crab legs, corn on the cob, and a large slice of chocolate frosted cake.  Blogger just went into a diabetic coma.  However, Mr. Philipsen rightly points that eliminating that "authentic Baltimore grit" takes away from the Jane Jacobs notion of uniqueness of place  and replaces it with a bland boring box.  One well known case in point is Faidley's with its delectable assortment of seafood and shell fish, and most important, will ship the world famous Baltimore crab cakes nationwide.  Blogger has tried Baltimore crab cake and all blogger can say is YUM.

Bergers Cookies
huffingtonpost.com

Discussions over the future of Lexington Market is a sensitive subject, depending on who you speak with.  The reason the subject of the Market's future can rub people the wrong way is that it serves multiple needs and possibly evokes aspirations.  There are those who love the "gruff authenticity and old fashioned food choices, there are those who use the market for their daily shopping because adjacent neighborhoods to the west have scarcely any stores, and then there is a growing number of people who think that the market surely doesn't live up to its potential and needs a major re-set."

"Grills" at the Lexington Market
citypaper.com

There seems little in the way of guide lines that could serve as the foundation for consensus, evaluation, and assessment for any proposed actions to decide which are beneficial and which proposals would be disastrous.  Mr. Philipsen notes that also missing "...is a comprehensive strategy for all of the other public markets the city still controls."

Klaus Philipsen offers up some thoughts on Lexington Market can achieve certain outcomes that would make an already great place, even greater:

1. The market needs to continue its important

Good times, good food, good drink
lexingtonmarket.com

role of being a source for groceries and food for the low income residents of the westside neighborhoods, while serving the new and growing mixed use neighborhood now dubbed the Westside.

2. Add diversity instead of taking anything away.  This should apply to the vendors, the good they offer and the customers to be attracted.  Diversity would mean adding some more upscale food choices.

3. Aim for ways that allow some control over the surroundings so that shops, restaurants, bars in the historic

Chinese take out at the Lexington Market
npr.org

buildings facing the market work synergistically with the market instead of at cross purposes.

4. Good markets reach out with permeable walls so that the market can grow and shrink with seasonal functions beyond the walls of the adjacent streets, and especially the neighboring lot, now used for parking.  It should have open sheds that could accommodate farmers on certain days, seasonal market offerings and events as well as outdoor seating for food customers.

5. Shrink and concentrate the overall market footprint by eliminating the currently underperforming west market across from Paca Street.

Crabs and a beer at Findley's
tripadvisor.com

6. The interior must be more attractive.  Lighting, display of goods and presentation need to be on par with supermarket operations like Wegmans, without losing the old fashioned market touch that comes with selling certain products across counters.  There should be more daylight, ideally through an attractive skylight.  Generally, though, resources should be focused on fostering a better product range instead of spending all the money on gussying up the building.

The Lexington Market area should be a bee hive of activity from early in the morning through late  in the evening without disturbing the residents.  Mr. Philispen also suggests that it "would be a perfect area for entertainment and bars similar to the area around the Cross Street Market in Baltimore's Federal Hill, but with the big difference that the many bars there are a big burden on the community."  A made over market could offer more upscale food items while keeping the comfort food and local specialities.  Modern or gentrified facilities are not the necessary keys to success as seen in Philadelphia's Italian Market, which happily blends "complete street," open air market, and ethnic retail establishments.

Seafood vendors at the Lexington Market
lexingtonmarket.com

The point here, is the relationship between the success of the Westside and the success of the market is complex, but one can say with some certainty that the market (or any other market for that matter) can continue thrive if the surrounding community is in dire straits.  Lexington Market continues to be a magnet and attraction, while providing an identity and meeting place for the community.  On its own, the market cannot be reasonably expected to turn around an ailing area. Washington D.C.'s Eastern market is an example of a flourishing market joining hands with a vital community.  By contrast, the Cross Street market which demonstrates that flourishing neighborhood-i.e. Federal Hill-is no guarantor of a successful market if it is unresponsive to the changing needs of the community.

Annual events
lexingtonmarket.com

Even though the Lexington Market is some distance from the Harbor and the tourists that scurry about the waterfront, the market has enormous potential to once again become the visitor mecca it was.  In order for this to happen, "...it must be possible for visitors to walk the distance without feeling they are lost or veered into dangerous territory."  Mr. Philipsen suggests a free downtown shuttle that could serve the Westside as well. Most important, the market could continue to serve as community food resource and as a lunch spot for students and employees of the University of Maryland and the Veteran's Hospital.  Of even greater importance, citing Salin Geevarghese, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy Development and Research at the federal Departmant of Housing and Urban Development,  "it could be stabilized as one of those 'places and spaces that restore human connection when there are so many factors going against those connections.'"

Public markets, regardless of where they are, have extraordinary potential to serve their host communities in ways never imagined.  Beyond the daily needs of the residents, public markets have the ability to offer a wide variety of products that cater to the ever changing nature of neighborhoods. Public markets also play a vital role in place making, in that they become a neighborhood identity. People associate a public market with a specific community.  Public markets also provide an authenticity of experience, something sorely lacking in most development projects.  Above all, public markets are amazing places where one can enjoy the wonderful delectable delights.  Bon appetite.