If you are interested in becoming a “Friend of the Market,” please call Carmen Swinehart at 717-449-4731 or email at friendsofthemarket@mail.com for full details.  Whether you are a group or independent, the market needs you!

COLUMBIA BOROUGH GRANTS FOR MARKET HOUSE
$500,000 DCED Market House Grant
$257,077 Urban Enhancement Grant

Columbia Market House Construction was publicly bid and awarded to McCoy Contractors in August 2009. A pre construction meeting was held and work began the week of October 11, 2009 with a 120 day completion guideline.

The proposed work schedule began with a “top-down” approach making repairs and replacing the roof; interior ceiling repairs; working on fascia, cornices, clear story, spouting and brick pointing.

Contractor crews and borough crews will proceed to install drainage devices to accommodate storm water runoff from the building and surrounding roadways. A new instant hot water system was installed and radiant heating will be installed by 2011.  The repainting and repair of the exterior doors will be complete in 2011 also.

A grand re-opening will be scheduled sometime in 2011.

If constructed today, using the same solid construction techniques and quality materials, that building would cost millions of dollars – if you could find people who have those skills. Many cities now starting their own public markets would envy Columbia for already having such a wonderful and historic building for its market.

According to a national study, the prices in farmers markets are generally lower and the products freshness and nutritional value much higher than for the same items in a typical supermarket. Surveys have determined that market prices on similar items represent an average savings in the range of 8-34%. Today, very little of a customer’s ‘supermarket dollar’ is spent on the food itself. More than $0.79 of every supermarket dollar spent by shoppers goes toward the costs of advertising, management, and overhead – less than $0.21 is returned to the farmer. It is no wonder that public markets can offer both lower prices and better quality produce.

For lower income households, food costs are even more significant than for other economic strata: among households with an after tax income between $5,000-$10,000, food expenditures represents approximately more than one-third of their income. The federal government currently funds two program’s which provide fresh, local produce at low or no cost to qualified families (through WIC) and senior citizens (through the Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Pilot Program). By helping to keep local dollars in the regional economy. Columbia’s Market will strengthen local agriculture, as it adds to local urban investment.

The Market sits at the geographic center of the newly designated Lancaster-York Heritage Region, and by re-activating it, Columbia can tap into the heritage tourism market envisioned for this region. Columbia Borough includes two of the three bridges uniting Lancaster and York Counties and the market bases of Philadelphia and New York to the east as well as Baltimore-Washington to the south. Not only are these tourists looking for authentic sites such as the Market House, but also revitalization of the Market House will tie in well with the LYHR theme of “Foodways – from Farm to Table.” By incorporating interpretive materials on these themes – such as displays, maps, tasting, and demonstrations – the Market could fill a niche which other regional markets are not currently addressing.

In dozens of communities across the country, people are re-discovering the value in fresh local foods and community enterprise. Many markets have been started in the past decade, some as simple as parking lot events (like one in Mount Joy) and others in brand new, single purpose buildings (like in Portland, Maine). According to the USDA, the number of farmers markets in the United States has grown dramatically, increasing 79 percent from 1994 to 2002. The 2002 National Farmers Market Directory lists over 3,100 farmers markets are operating in the United States.

Fresh foods provide important health benefits and two federal agencies recently launched the “Five a Day For Better Health” program. The Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services are now developing initiatives to raise awareness of the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables. Public Markets are ideal avenues for bringing quality produce closer to consumers.

The Columbia Market House was constructed on the site of an earlier open air market and takes the form of a long, enclosed shed structure. The large interior open space was spanned with arched, Howe trusses, a cross-braced wood truss reinforced with iron tension rods that was popular for railroad bridges. The design mimics the open market sheds that were in use in the first half of the nineteenth century, while incorporating the same construction technique used in train sheds.

Construction of the Columbia Market House was funded by the municipality, an anomaly in Pennsylvania during 1850-1890, when many of the newer market buildings were being constructed by private corporations. However, the Columbia Market House did follow the trend to tear down open air markets and construct off-street market houses. The Broad Street Market House in Harrisburg (1856-1869) was also constructed as a long, narrow shed structure with central clerestory windows set in a roof monitor. The Ridge Avenue Farmers Market in Philadelphia (1875) was another shed-type market building embellished with gothic details. However, later market buildings tended to be designed more as a building in their own right with enhanced facilities. While retaining the open market house interior, later market buildings exhibited architectural detailing and clearly defined entrances for service providers and the public. Examples of the later type of market buildings include the York Central Market (1888), the Lancaster Southern Market (1888), and the Lancaster Central Market (1889).

In the late nineteenth century, the basement of the Columbia Market House was altered to accommodate seven municipal jail cells. The Columbia Market House was active from 1869 until market activities gradually declined during the last quarter of the twentieth century. The building was cleaned by sandblasting in 1965-68, permanently damaging the exterior brick. The Borough of Columbia financed some exterior maintenance work in the 1980s, including re-pointing the building, replacing exterior doors, repairing the roof, and painting exterior wood trim. By the 1990s, the market could no longer support itself. Regular operations ceased in 1994 only to reopen in 2005 with several vendors doing business every Thursday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Columbia’s Market House will be operated to serve the following purposes:

To revitalize and perpetuate the tradition of the farmers’ market in Columbia.

To preserve and enhance the architectural and historical character of the Market House

To create not only a successful, profitable, economical environment for Market House vendors, but also to provide a setting for other multi-purpose uses for citizens and visitors to the area.

To provide a public place that accommodates and promotes the general health, education and welfare of the residents of Columbia and the Lancaster-York* Heritage Region.

To promote the revitalization of the downtown district by providing a retail outlet where agricultural and other products can be sold directly to the public.

The Columbia Market House was constructed in 1869 for nearly $20,000. The Market House is 118 feet long, 80 feet wide and was once furnished with 180 inside stalls and 37 outside stalls. The outside stalls were removed many years ago.

Today, the Columbia Market House holds a Farmer’s Market each Thursday  from 9am to 7pm and each Friday from 9am to 6pm. There are great market stands including fresh fruits, vegetables, coffee, smoothies, hot foods, home baked goods, candy, breads, pretzels, and so much more! Feel free to come grab lunch or purchase something for dinner!

Throughout the year, there are various weekend shows and other events held inside the Market House. Keep your eyes on this website to see what’s happening.

BUSES WELCOME! We encourage your group to visit our market. Call ahead and we will make sure your group gets special treatment!

Lancaster and York city buses drop off and pick up next to the Market! Click on schedules below.

* York City Bus Schedule
* Lancaster City Bus Schedule