12/07/2022
Happy Birthday Dallas Farmers Market!
“No southern city is considered complete without a city market.”
(Dallas Morning News, August 6, 1889)
December is the birthday month for the City of Dallas - owned Farmers Market because the first bond issued for construction of the site was the first week of December, 1941.
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Now 81 years young, Dallas Farmers Market has been a fixture in downtown Dallas. Located downtown, it provides unique opportunities to shop for local fresh meats, seafood, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and flowers in an urban setting. Its location makes it a prime shopping spot for the downtown workforce as well as local consumers and tourists.
Farmers have been selling their fresh produce on the streets of Dallas since the 1840s. The Dallas County Courthouse grounds served as the city’s first open-air market until another was established in 1872 at Main and Akard Streets, on the ground floor of Dallas City Hall. By 1880 the market drifted to Ervay and Elm Streets and also around Pearl Street. Truck growers and market wagons congested streets until 1902, when the Dallas Board of Aldermen re-established the east, south, and west sides of the courthouse square for the market – but citizens and vendors preferred and demanded the Pearl location.
The intersection of Pearl and Cadiz Streets evolved as the center of activity, with farmers selling not only produce, but also chickens, pigs and goats. As business grew, traffic congestion again increased, and the need for a more organized market was apparent. In the late 1930s the city began organizing the present location and the first sheds were built.
In June 1941 a bond election secured a half-million dollars for construction funds and the site was officially sanctioned as a City of Dallas-owned and operated market in December 1941. In the 1990s the market underwent a $15 million renovation that included the addition of a new Resource Center, an all-weather shed, improved pedestrian walkways, and more parking.
In 2006 The City Council approved funds for the rehabilitation of Shed 2 as well as the overall infrastructure of the market. By late summer 2008, shed 2 was totally enclosed with heating and air conditioning systems to make it a year-round shopping destination. The Shed is a 10,000 square foot dining and specialty food space that features dozens of vendors. Today, the Dallas Farmers Market is a popular year-round attraction for Metroplex residents as well as tourists.
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The following images are from the collections of the Dallas Municipal Archives.
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