David K. O'Neil collection on public markets, 1800-2023.

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

O'Neil, David K., creator.

Contributor:

Herman V. Ames Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Business.

Farmers' markets.

Markets.

Genre:

Photographs.

Postcards.

research (documents)

slides (photographs)

Penn Provenance:

Sold by and gift of David K. O'Neil, 2023

Physical Description:

37 boxes (30 linear foot)

Arrangement:

Organized into seven series: I. Public market project files; II. Reading Terminal Market general manager records; III. Reading Terminal Market: an illustrated history; IV. Historical market material; V. Memorabilia and postcards; VI. Audio and video; VII. Computer files

Place of Publication:

1800-2023.

Language Note:

In English, with a mall amount of material in Arabic, Chinese, French, Georgian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Biography/History:

David K. O'Neil grew up in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a B.A. in history in 1977, the University of New Brunswick in Canada, and the American College of Switzerland. After graduating from Penn, he worked on an archaeological dig in Yugoslavia and began writing a murder mystery novel. He volunteered to scoop ice cream at L.D. Bassett, Inc. in the Reading Terminal Market in 1980, hoping overheard dialogue would provide inspiration for his writing. However after one shift, a chance encounter with a Reading Company, executive led to a job attracting new tenants in an effort to revitalize the market. O'Neil soon became general manager of the Reading Terminal Market, and from 1980 to 1990, he spearheaded the market's reimagination, revitalization and return to profitability. After leaving Reading Terminal Market in 1990, O'Neil traveled the ancient trade routes of Asia and studied markets along the way. Back in the States, he was founder of the public markets program at Project for Public Spaces (PPS) in New York City, which works with a global network to plan, design, develop and operate markets successfully. He also served as the Director of the Public Market Collaborative, conference chair for the 3rd, 4th and 5th International Public Market Conferences, and was an instructor for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, where he taught a course in market development. He authored Reading Terminal Market: an Illustrated History, 2003; PPS's How to Start Your Business at a Local Market: A Vendor Handbook, published in English and Spanish by PPS and the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2009; and was a contributing writer and for the Urban Land Institute's Public Markets and Community Revitalization, 1995.

Summary:

This collection of correspondence, notes, legal documents, financial information, site planes, blueprints, reports, proposals, newspaper clippings, articles, images, photographs, slides, glass plate negatives and slides, vendor information, memorabilia, audiovisual material, computer files, and postcards details O'Neil's role as general manager of the Reading Terminal Market, international public market consultant and collector of public market artifacts and ephemera. Series I, Public market project files is divided into 6 subseries: a. United States; b. Canada; c. International; d. Public market conferences; e. General market research material; and f. Slides and are arranged alphabetically by location and then market. This series contains material O'Neil accumulated for his international market consulting projects and details his expertise in the development of public markets and their local economies. The variety of materials is vast and for the most part, placed in the following descriptive categories: Correspondence includes letters and e-mails; notes, includes handwritten, typed and discussion, site visit notes are listed separately. Reports include analyses, proposals, market development plans, annual reports, impact studies, business development plans, memorandum, feasibility studies, assessments, guidelines, and marketing plans. Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and Request for Response (RFR) are listed separately. Promotional material contains newspaper clippings, articles, brochures, pamphlets, flyers, press releases, newsletters, invitations and postcards. Legal documents includes leases, contracts, articles of incorporations, and rental agreements. Vendor information contains handbooks, space assignments, rules and regulations, and market policies. Site plans include drawings, renderings, blueprints and maps. Financial information contains budgets, estimates, tax documents, cost and profit analyses and receipts. Additional project material can also be found in Series VII, Computer files. Researchers are strongly encouraged to check that series as well. Series II, Reading Terminal Market General Manager records is divided into 3 subseries: a. Administrative records; b. Photographs; and c. Slides. These files are from O'Neil's tenure as general manager of the market, 1980-1990, and details the market's revitalization under his leadership. The market opened in 1893 and prospered until the 1950s. Its downturn correlated with the decline of its owner, the Reading Railroad Company. The once prosperous market that housed over 300 vendors and farmers in 1913 was reduced to 23 vendors by 1980. The correspondence, reports, financial information, legal documents, promotional material, photographs, and slides reflect O'Neil's effort to bring economic prosperity back to the market before its eventual sale to the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority in 1990. Additional Reading Terminal Market material may also be found in Series VII, Computer files. Researchers are strongly encouraged to check that series as well. Series III, Reading Terminal Market: an illustrated history primarily consists of O'Neil's research material he used while writing his book published in 2003. Series IV, Historical market material is comprised of 8 subseries: a. Reading Terminal Market; b. Reading Terminal Market blueprints; c. Reading Company; d. Philadelphia Markets; e. United States markets; f. International markets; g. Slides; h. Glass plate negatives and slides. O'Neil began collecting photographs, blueprints, images, deeds, receipts, stock certificates, resolutions, reports, notes, insurance policies, slides, stereo views, and glass plate negatives when he was unable to find any historical records to provide inspiration for improvements he needed to make while serving as general manager of the Reading Terminal Market. He began buying items from flea markets, vintage sales and online vendors, as well as during his travels. The bulk of the international files contain photographs and images of foreign markets. Additional Reading Terminal Market material may also be found in Series VII, Computer files. Researchers are strongly encouraged to check that series as well. Series V, Memorabilia and postcards includes stencils, license plates, postage stamps, hats, watches, medals, celluloid buttons, tokens, permits, glass bottles, tote and shopping bags, a card games, paperweight, mirror, wooden bag handle, and model kit primarily documenting domestic markets. The postcards are a mix of modern and historical cards depicting domestic and international locations, and date from the late 19th and early 21st century. The postcards are arranged geographically and alphabetically thereunder as follows: United States: boxes 24-25; Canada: box 25; Mexico, Central America and Caribbean: box 26; Western Europe: boxes 26-27; and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Oceania: box 27. Series VI, Audio and video consists of 2 subseries: a. Cassette tapes; and b. VHS tapes. The cassette tapes consist of recordings of National Public Radio programs, lectures and sessions from the International Public Markets Conferences. The VHS tapes are mainly professionally produced programs on public markets. Series VII. Computer files contains three subseries: a. Project and professional files; b. Photographs; and c. Video. The donor arranged the material in this series alphabetically and that arrangement was maintained. Researchers are strongly encouraged to search for material by geographic locations as well as the name of a particular market. For example, a search for the Fruitvale Public Market should include Fruitvale, Oakland and California. These digital files contain the same type of supporting documentation of O'Neil's consulting projects as found in Series I, Public market project files.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Herman V. Ames Fund.

OCLC:

1485067808