Old Town Farmers' Market to move to North Royal Street during City Hall renovations
Historic market will operate across the street for two to three years while $123.6 million project repairs aging infrastructure
The Old Town Farmers’ Market will temporarily relocate to the 100 block of North Royal Street and Tavern Square courtyard beginning in January 2026 as City Hall and Market Square undergo significant renovations.
The city has not announced an exact date for the move. The market will continue operating every Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon through the relocation and construction period.
The market has operated at “the same site” since 1753. The city bills it as the oldest farmers’ market in the country held continuously at the same site. George Washington once sent produce from Mount Vernon to be sold there.
The new location sits directly across from Market Square and will accommodate all current vendors — more than 70 during peak season — while providing additional space for shoppers, according to a city announcement Friday.
City officials selected the North Royal Street location because of its proximity and capacity to host the full market. The Market Square Garage, which offers free parking on Saturdays during market hours, will close during construction. The new location provides easier access to alternative parking, the city said.
The relocation is expected to last two to three years. Once renovations are finished, the market will return to Market Square.
$123.6 million renovation project
The renovation project has been deferred five times since 2015 and has grown from an original $50 million estimate to $123.6 million, according to the city’s 2025-2034 Capital Improvement Program budget. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2026 and last through 2028.
The project will repair aging HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems in the 153-year-old City Hall building, address structural issues in Market Square Plaza and the underground garage, and improve accessibility, security, and technology. More than 400 city employees began relocating to temporary or permanent locations in August.
International design firm LEO A DALY will lead the City Hall renovation, while Alexandria firms Rust Orling Architecture and LandDesign will tackle Market Square, the city announced in September 2024.
Previous relocations
The relocation marks the first time in nearly 60 years that the market will leave Market Square during construction.
During the 1960s urban renewal, the market moved multiple times — including to an empty grocery store, inside City Hall, and onto Cameron Street — before returning to Market Square in 1967, according to a 2015 article in The Zebra Press. The Cameron Street location reduced the market from dozens of vendors to just eight or nine by 1967.
“The market did poorly on Cameron Street. Many very long-time vendors quit,” according to the article. “City government debated closing the market, but those eight or nine vendors and many city residents strongly resisted that plan.”
Eugene Barnwell, the city’s director of general services at the time, said, “Cameron Street doesn’t lend itself to a good market. If the city doesn’t encourage it or make a place for it, it could well die out. It would be a shame to lose it because it’s a vestige of Alexandria’s former days.”
The market maintained operations through the complete demolition and reconstruction of Market Square itself in the 1960s and through COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020, when it shifted to a pre-order and pickup model, according to the Alexandria Times.
The city did not immediately respond to questions about whether the temporary relocation affects the market’s claim as the oldest farmers’ market in the country, held continuously at the same site.
Shoppers can expect the same vendors offering local produce, baked goods, flowers, meats, dairy, and specialty items at the temporary location.
The city will provide updates on the official move date, maps, parking information and vendor details at alexandriava.gov/OldTownFarmersMarket.