Published December 14, 2012

Exploring the History of Liberty Market at 5th and K St. NW in Washington, DC

Explore the history of Liberty Market, a 284-stall vending building, which stood at the corner of 5th and K St. NW in Washington, DC between 1874 and 1985. See photos of the building before and after its gutting by fire in 1946, and find out what is in its place today.

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We came across this photo from 1920 on Shorpy. The image shows Liberty Market at 5th and K St. NW.

The building was built on the east side of 5th and K in 1874 as the main competitor to Center Market and had 284 vending stalls. Sadly, there was a massive fire in 1946, which gutted the building. It was marginally rebuilt, but unrecognizable, and used (oddly) as a wax museum between 1966 and 1974.

The building was razed in 1985 and the lot is currently occupied by the City Vista condos (where you go to either Busboys and Poets, Taylor or Kushi).