designed with a lower level ( which contains many of the fresh food grocers ) and an upper level ( which contains prepared foods and specialty items like coffee , baked goods and ice cream ). A grand stairway with seating connects the two levels . The new building was designed to feel both welcoming and historically suited to the space .
“ We heard people love the look of some of the older Lexington buildings , which had been lost to fire , so we built a shed-style building as a nod to the past ,” Constable says .
In the space between the two buildings is a pedestrian-only outdoor plaza with seating , events and gathering opportunities .
It ’ s all a welcome makeover for this beloved city institution .
“ It ’ s refreshing to see a focus on a city landmark that has needed some TLC for some time ,” says Black Acres Roastery ’ s Bell . “ I think it ’ s something the businesses deserve to be a part of , along with the community that surrounds it .” VB
Top : A bug-repelling balm from the Remingtonbased Mount Royal Soaps , which is opening a stall in the new market . Above : Fourthgeneration shoe repairman Alex Kofman poses in his shop , Kofman Shoe Repair .
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SCULPTURES
“ Robert and Rosetta ”
This piece by multidisciplinary artist Oletha DeVane and her son , Chris Kojzar , pays homage to the two recorded instances of enslaved people who were sold at the Market or hunted because of a connection to it . The artists ’ work looks to examine the concepts behind “ exchanging goods ” at the Market through forged metal panels of the two namesake figures . DeVane ’ s work appears in the permanent collections at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Reginald F . Lewis Museum , and she has exhibited at the Corcoran
Gallery of Art , Museum of the Bible and Museum of the Americas , among others .
“ Food Play ”
Local artist Reed Bmore and metal workers Nick Ireys and Eric Smith are known for the surprising ( and usually unsanctioned ) bent wire sculptures that have appeared at stoplights and street corners throughout Baltimore and beyond . For Lexington Market , the team created a large-scale maze of colorful folded pipe shapes . Specifically built for interaction , this installation explores complex relationships with food while bringing a sense of play and nostalgia to the space .
PHOTO COLLAGE
“ Our Ties to the Market ”
As an extension of The Avenue , a recent project for the Baltimore Museum of Art , artist and photographer SHAN Wallace translated years of work photographing Lexington Market vendors and customers into a large-scale collage on the new building ’ s upper-level focal wall . Wallace ’ s piece explores the history of Black food culture in Baltimore and American public markets in collaboration with culinary historian Dr . Jessica B . Harris .
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