Renderings of the new Boston Public Market, which is expected to open in the summer. Photo: Architerra
Crews on Thursday broke ground on The Boston Public Market, a 28,000-square-foot permanent indoor food emporium that will be housed on the ground floor of the Haymarket MBTA station.
The market, slated to open in the summer, will offer over 40 year-round vendors selling fresh locally-sourced food including produce, meat, poultry, cheese, fish, baked goods, beer, wine and flowers.
The space will also include a 3,000 square-foot community kitchen as well as cooking classes, fitness actives and nutrition education.
The market announced earlier in the week that it had raised $9.25 million, including a state grant for $4 million, toward the project total of $15.5 million.
Renderings of the new Boston Public Market, which is expected to open in the summer. Photo: Architerra
Describing himself as a “foodie” Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday called the public market a vital project for urban families.
“I hope it’s a place where everybody can partake of the magic that farmers do everyday,” said Patrick, clutching a red apple. “It’s an extraordinary thing to coax the earth to yield the bounty that it does and then to have access to it in a world-class city like this one.”
The market’s EBT program manager, Shaquille Jones, called farmers markets a necessity for every urban community.
A look inside The Boston Public Market. Photo: Architerra
Another look inside the Boston Public Market. Photo: Architerra
“As a lifelong resident of Dorchester I know first-hand the struggle of poverty and the food insecurity that plagues the neighborhood,” said Jones. “My family’s food budget was minimal and we couldn’t always afford things that were deemed healthy or nutritious.”
Jones said the market will establish robust SNAP/EBT and WIC programs.
“We are determined to make healthy food more accessible to people who otherwise couldn’t afford it,” said Jones.
The Market will span the ground floor of 136 Blackstone St, which is also home to the Boston RMV branch, entrances to the Haymarket station, vent stacks for the I-93 tunnel, and a parking garage.
Follow Morgan Rousseau on Twitter: @MetroMorgan
Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBOS
