{"exhibit":{"title":"What happened to George Washington's plan for a market near the Mall?","description":"
George Washington envisioned the capital city as a vibrant commercial center that included a thriving market on the edge of the National Mall. In 1801, Center Market opened on land Washington had set aside between the US Capitol and the White House. Market stalls gradually sprawled over two city blocks, teeming with farmers, craftspeople, retail outlets, entertainments, and in the early days, slave traders. In 1931, the Market closed. Its traffic, smells, and noise were incompatible with new visions of a capital city of monumental grandeur.<\/p>","credits":"","featured":1,"public":1,"theme":"","theme_options":null,"slug":"center-market","added":"2012-11-06 16:42:47","modified":"2014-09-02 15:57:08","owner_id":3,"use_summary_page":1,"cover_image_file_id":null,"id":6},"item":{"item_type_id":6,"collection_id":null,"featured":0,"public":1,"added":"2012-11-06 23:59:40","modified":"2015-11-02 11:59:56","owner_id":3,"id":141}}