Blog 1 – Lexington Market in the Baltimore Sun




      In looking at the historical articles from the Baltimore Heritage list, I was struck by the continuing debates through the twentieth century over how to maintain and finance the markets as patterns of food-distribution and shopping changed.   In the 1920’s much of the discussion related to the need for parking to accommodate automobiles.  After the 1949 fire which gutted the original buildings, the city got a temporary structure in place in 6 months and new buildings opened in April, 1952.   The city took this opportunity to restructure the financial relationship with stall-holders, resulting in lawsuits.  These new buildings were financed by a 25 year $5.7 million bond, managed by an independent authority.  However the market did not generate enough revenue to meet the repayment schedule, and the next crisis was in 1979 when the bonds came due and $3 million of the balance remained to be paid.   The buildings also required major renovation.  After much discussion, new financing was arranged by the city which resulted in the opening of the Arcade in 1982.   
      The 1990’s found Lexington Market surrounded by crime but supported by people who used it.  Of the 27 articles with Lexington Market in the title, 11 were about crimes committed in the area, although only 1 occurred in the Market.    About half of the non-crime articles in the mid-1990’s were written by reporters with fond memories of the Market as they described continuing to go there.  The Sun food writer, Rob Kasper, wrote twice about bringing his kids to the market.   In 1997, Jean Marbella profiled 91-year-old Robert Rawls who had been skinning and boning fish at Faidley’s Seafood for 55 years.  He still loved his job and the customers who asked for him by name, although he shifted to a part-time schedule in his mid-80’s.   The Sun printed his obituary 2 years later.  By 2000, a series of articles tracked the beginning of the long debate about how to renovate the Market.
      The Gamble article ended by pointing to a 200+ year debate about who the market is for, a question at the heart of this class as we consider the context for current proposals to rebuild the market.  How should one weigh the importance of the community currently being served by the market against the city’s desire to attract more affluent residents to downtown?

Comments

  1. Nicole KingSeptember 15, 2017 at 12:33 PM

    I like your concluding question: "How should one weigh the importance of the community currently being served by the market against the city’s desire to attract more affluent residents to downtown?" It speaks to the complexities of inequality in the history of development and redevelopment. In addition, you give a clear, no-nonsense overview of the history of LM reported in the Sun from 1991-2000. As a historian and a doctoral student coming into Baltimore public history, a suggestion I would have is to add more flavor/voice and build narrative tension in your writing in future assignments. Tell the story (accurately using research, of course) but also add analysis and some of those vivid quotes that make a place come alive. Solid work.

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