Section 5 of the Ordinance states "That no person shall sell or expose for sale in said market any unsound, blown, or unwholesome meat or articles of provision, under the penalty of five dollars for every offence.

"[1] The first Center Market opened soon after on this land by the Washington City Canal (now Constitution Avenue).

It was a hub of commercial activity for the city and it is said that President Thomas Jefferson visited the market.

[4] Despite its popularity and major importance in the local economy, Congress and the public considered the market a health and safety hazard with its 700 vendors in 1870.

[3] In 1863, Mayor Richard Wallach had Adolf Cluss and Joseph Wildrich von Kammerhueber design a brick structure on B Street NW (Constitution Avenue).

[4] A new Center Market building was chartered and the company incorporated by an Act of Congress on May 20, 1870[5] and opened for business on July 1, 1872.

In the process, it also added mechanical refrigeration with 400,000 cubic feet of cold storage rooms for meats using 10 miles of heavy two-inch brine pipes and electric lighting machinery.

An additional structure stood separate with 12 wholesale stores and a bank in the area left vacant on the lot.

This was extremely important considering houses did not have refrigerators at the time and used ice to preserve food.

The Center Market was a hub for public transportation, since several of D.C.'s trolley lines converged there:[14] In addition, street parking was available for the few cars of the time.