Description: Dated August 26, 1939, this photograph shows Central Street Market in downtown Columbus, Ohio, looking north on 4th Street, just south of Rich Street. 145 East Rich Street, on the southwest corner of East 4th Street remains (as of 2017), but most of the other buildings have been demolished to make way for more parking in the downtown area. Signs for "Dick Fish and Oysters," "Frosh Furniture," and "Trade-In Store" can be seen. The city’s Central Market was built between 1849 and 1850 at Town and Fourth Streets to serve as a municipal building as well as an economic market, and was soon joined by a West Market, on South Gift Street, and an East market, at the intersection of Mt. Vernon and Miami Avenues. The North market, constructed at Spruce and High Streets on the city’s north side, was constructed in 1876. Historically, city ordinances and a city-employed Market Master established and enforced rules governing fees, location of stands, and other standards. By the mid 20th century, changing demographics and shopping preferences, coupled with a series of fires left Columbus with only one public market, the North Market, which after a 1947 fire was housed in a Quonset hut erected by the Merchant’s Association. The twin rooftops of the Old Post Office, located at 100 South 3rd Street, can just be seen in the distance. Bricker & Eckler, Attorney's at Law, have been in the building since 1986. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F02_001_001
Subjects: Streets--Ohio--Columbus; Markets--Ohio--Columbus; Storefronts; Daily Life
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)