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Articles
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| EMCAC: South Hall to have skylights; exterior lights should save space |
VOICE writes, "BY PATTI SHEA
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Skylights will be installed in the rebuilt Eastern Market South Hall, despite the claim by some who say such implements aren’t historically accurate for the building.
The Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee in a Sept. 18 report resigned itself to the fact that the city’s plans to install the skylights will move forward. Besides the features’ perceived historical inaccuracy, some opponents said the skylights could cast a bad light on some goods sold.
“The skylight discussion raised the issue of washed-out food appearance that affects marketability and that remains a concern,” the report states. “Lighting of food products is indeed complex, influenced by both the display-case lighting and ambient lighting.”
But the building’s architect said using the right glass could block 99 percent of the ultraviolet light and 65 percent of visible light, both of which could harm products. "
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Committee member Monte Edwards, who opposes the skylights, said the panel backed down after seeking advice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the D.C. Department of Health about the impacts direct light has on food. Edwards said he found that the food and health agencies said all cases are easily controllable through the proper glass.
As for the historical accuracy, a previous committee report said Adolf Cluss’ design of the East Hall was designed to accommodate skylights, but there is no proof they were ever installed.
“We are left with the probability that Cluss designed skylights, but they were not installed when the building was constructed in 1873, or they were covered over sometime prior to 1800-82,” the report states.
That notion was disregarded by the city when making its decision into put in the skylights. The architect said Cluss’ original intent was an abundance of natural light, in a time before electricity.
The focus now turns to other lighting – from the South Hall’s side windows and overhead lights — and how it illuminates the room. According to the report, an evaluation should be conducted in the temporary structure to see how the proposed window shades impact the illumination of merchants’ goods.
As for exterior lighting, the committee said “historic” light fixtures suggested by the architect would impede sidewalk traffic and interfere with the weekend Farmer’s Line. Instead, the report says that lights should be placed on the shed side of the building and on the inner roof of the shed, as to not block any sidewalks.
The committee has also asked for an exterior light to illuminate the new flagpole and for overhead fans to be installed in the South Hall.
Plans for an extensive overhaul of Eastern Market were 90 percent complete at the time of the April 30 fire. Since then, the city, its architect and community members have been upgrading the plan to take into account rebuilding of the damaged structure.
Baird Smith of Quinn Evans Architects said the remaining building plans have been submitted to the D.C. Office of Property Management.
Management office spokesman Bill Rice said the agency has received the final plans and will make them public “shortly.” Renovation and rebuilding design revisions are due by October, according to the city’s Eastern Market timeline.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee held a meeting on Sept. 26 to discuss the city’s plans for the North Hall and aesthetic attributes, such as a community bulletin board and interior patricians for pictures. The Voice could not get a report of that meeting by press time.
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Posted on Dec 14, 2007 17:45pm.
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