A Historic Landmark nomination was submitted on Friday for the Market Deli at 1st and L SE,
according to 6D07 rep David Garber. Calling the nomination "potentially controversial" (perhaps remembering
this comment thread from a few months ago), Garber says: "I am 100% pro-development, but stand by my support of this because I think saving pieces of our history will make our neighborhood stronger and more valuable in the end."
He describes the "humble" building as the only remaining wood frame corner store in existence south of the freeway. (The brick building next door, where the Market Deli operated in the last few years of its existence, is not part of the nomination.) He also says it "represents the scale and the history that our neighborhood had for most of its history until very recently." He also says that he did not submit the nomination himself, though helped prepare it (but doesn't say who did submit).
The building, constructed in 1885, is currently owned by Akridge (along with the rest of the block's frontage along 1st Street). There has been no public information on what Akridge plans to do with the block, but raze permits were filed for the Market Deli building(s) and the other buildings on the north end of the block
earlier this year, which presumably is what kick-started this move. You can read about the city's Historic Landmark designation process at the
Historic Preservation Office's web site. Readers may recall that the St. Paul's church at 4th and I
received a landmark designation in November.
UPDATE, 3/11: The hearing date at the Historic Preservation Review Board has been set for April 28; here's the
hearing notice.