Eastern Market is a commercial area in Detroit, Michigan. It is located about one mile (1.6 km) northeast of the city's downtown. The area is bordered by Gratiot Avenue to the south, Mack Avenue to the north, St. Aubin Street to the east, and Interstate 75 (I-75, Chrysler Freeway) to the west. Eastern Market is on the city's central east side, near St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church and the Lafayette Park neighborhood. The district was named a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The National Register boundary for the district was expanded in 2007.

In 2006, the market was moved from city control and now operates through a partnership between the city and the Eastern Market Corporation. Eastern Market is the largest historic public market district in the United States. Its farmers' distribution center is the largest open-air flowerbed market in the United States. More than 150 businesses in the district sell items such as produce, meat, flowers, and specialty goods. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the market had more than 45,000 visitors on its busiest days. Today, between 30,000 and 40,000 people visit Eastern Market on a typical summer Saturday.

History

From 1841 until the end of the nineteenth century, Detroit’s main market was located at City Hall in Cadillac Square. As Detroit’s industrial jobs grew and more people moved to the city, this downtown area became more valuable, and the market was no longer large enough for the city’s growing population. A not official market for hay and wood had already been set up a few years earlier in what is now the Eastern Market district. Because the community already knew this area, city leaders decided to move Detroit’s farmer’s market there in 1891. A second market was also created on the west side at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 18th Street. Today, only the Eastern Market remains, while the western market was torn down in 1965 during the building of a highway. Shed 1 at Eastern Market, completed in 1892, was also demolished in 1967 for a nearby highway. Shed 2 was added in 1898, Shed 3 in 1922, Shed 4 in 1938, Shed 5 in 1939 (but rebuilt in 1981), and Shed 6 in 1966. Today, the five central sheds cover 14 acres, and the entire Eastern Market district spans 43 acres between Gratiot Avenue and Mack Avenue. Before the market was built, the land had been used for a city cemetery and a jail.

In the early 1900s, the area was home to many people from Detroit’s Italian and German communities. Today, there is no single neighborhood with a strong connection to one ethnic group. During the Great Depression, Eastern Market allowed Detroiters to buy food at lower prices than most stores because they could purchase directly from farmers. Farmers also benefited because city residents relied on the market, giving them steady customers. During World War II, the market helped people buy more food than allowed by ration coupons, which limited how much food could be purchased at stores. After this practice was stopped in 1944, a black market for ration coupons grew in the area. After the war, more businesses that sold food in large amounts moved to the area, and Eastern Market became an important place for distributing food. At the same time, large grocery stores became more common in the United States, which reduced the number of people visiting the market. Detroit also faced economic problems in the second half of the twentieth century, which hurt the market. Fewer people lived in the city, and more land in the Eastern Market area became empty, making it expensive to run the market. By the late 1960s, the market was almost closed, but it gained new attention in the 1970s when new murals (paintings) were added and the public became more interested in environmental issues. These early murals showed pictures of fruits, vegetables, and animals. Over time, the murals became symbols of the market.

In 2006, to help keep the market’s character during a time of citywide financial problems, market operations were moved to a new group called the Eastern Market Corporation (EMC). The EMC is a partnership between the city and private groups that manages the market, repairs the sheds, and promotes the market to the public. In its first ten years, the EMC spent over $10 million to fix and improve the sheds. Since the EMC took over, more people have visited the market, and it now opens on Tuesdays and Sundays during the summer. The EMC also helped bring more support from private companies, nonprofits, and other groups. Today, the market has more special and small food businesses than before the EMC started, changing the sheds from a place for farmers to a space where people can experience new foods, learn about culture, and connect with the community.

In 2022, the Detroit Unity Bell, a piece from the now-demolished Old City Hall, was placed at the market. The bell’s name honors Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell.

Present Uses

As of 2025, the public market is open on Saturdays all year and on Tuesdays and Sundays during the summer. The wholesale market operates at night from Monday to Friday between April and November. During the busiest summer days, Eastern Market can have up to 40,000 visitors in one day.

In 2007, the historic district designation for Eastern Market was expanded to include 76 nearby historic buildings in addition to the market’s sheds. Covering 43 acres, Eastern Market is the largest historic public market district in the United States. The sheds sell a wide range of items, including produce, meat, spices, and other goods. The expanded district includes restaurants, grocery stores, retail shops, and specialty food producers. On Detroit Lions home game days, fans are allowed to tailgate in the market’s parking lots.

Local and international art galleries, studios, and makerspaces have recently opened near the market, including The Red Bull House of Art, OmniCorp Detroit, Inner State Gallery, Riopelle and Project. Independent restaurants, shops, and performance spaces like Trinosophes, Antietam, and People’s Records are located along Gratiot Avenue. Light manufacturing and e-commerce businesses such as 1XRUN and Cyberoptix operate from upper floors. The annual Murals in the Market festival, hosted by 1XRUN in the fall, invites local artists to paint murals throughout the district. This event is part of the citywide Detroit Month of Design, which includes artist panels, galleries, art vendors, and the Eastern Market After Dark event.

In addition to Murals in the Market, the Eastern Market sheds are often used for city events and festivals. Some annual events held at the market include Flower Day (May), Detroit Burger Battle (June), Detroit Festival of Books (July), Taco Showdown (July), Detroit Sandwich Party (September), Eastern Market After Dark (September), Detroit Fall Beer Festival (October), Whiskey Wonderland (November), and All Things Detroit (twice yearly). Events like the Detroit Festival of Books draw more than 10,000 people.

Detroit’s many vacant areas and the need for stronger local food systems have helped the city become a national leader in urban farming during the 21st century. Eastern Market, one of the oldest and largest continuously operating farmers’ markets in the United States, plays a major role in the city’s shift toward sustainable food practices. The market supports programs that help low-income residents access food, promote farm-to-table efforts, and assist young chefs in starting businesses. Wholesale market hours allow nonprofits and local cooperatives to buy food at lower prices. Eastern Market brings together small businesses, local nonprofits, public programs, and educational initiatives to support economic growth. However, like other neighborhoods near downtown Detroit, Eastern Market has become more gentrified in recent years.

Eastern Market is currently taking part in a "Sustainable Cities Challenge" to reduce its carbon footprint. To ensure the market district continues to benefit Detroit residents as it grows, the challenge encourages local businesses and nonprofits to find ways to use less fossil fuel and reduce the number of delivery trucks in the area.

Gallery

• Germack Pistachio Company
• Eastern Market Busker
• DeVries & Company 1887
• Supino Pizza
• Eastern Market Artwork
• Bikes at the Market
• Art: Graffiti
• The R. Hirt Jr., Co. (1893) in the Eastern Market
• Before Renovation
• Shed 3 After Renovation, 2009
• Sheds 2 and 3 After Renovation, 2009
• Shed 5 and Mural
• Shed 2 Facade in the Winter