The Ann Arbor Farmers Market parking lot on May 12, 2025.

ANN ARBOR, MI — One day it’s there, and then one day it’s gone.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market office and restroom building is now reduced to rubble as of Monday, May 12.

The city’s parks department, which oversees the market in Kerrytown, decided to demolish the 1984 brick structure after determining last year its foundation was compromised, making it unsafe for longterm use.

Because it was less than 50 years old, it was not considered historically significant, officials said.

All above-ground demolition work is complete and below-ground demolition is next and expected to be complete by the week of May 26, said Josh Landefeld, city parks manager. The work will continue to pause on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays to minimize market disruptions, he said.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market on May 12, 2025.

The city considers the demolition an opportunity to reenvision the future of the market.

The Downtown Development Authority, in a presentation to City Council in April, listed a $21 million reconstruction of the Farmers Market as one of nearly $150 million worth of potential downtown projects to tackle from 2026 to 2035.

The $21 million cost is a high-level estimate that includes the ability to construct a new market building with public restrooms and sustainable energy components, bring the site into compliance with an accessibility plan and add stormwater improvements, lighting, landscaping and public art, said DDA Executive Director Maura Thomson.

The DDA’s participation and contribution to the project will be determined by what’s included in a new downtown development plan to be approved by City Council, Thomson said. She emphasized the design process has not begun and officials won’t know what will be included in the project until that’s complete.

The city plans to launch a study later this year looking holistically at the market site to plan its future.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market office and restroom building demolished on May 12, 2025.

“Our study will involve extensive community engagement, taking into account the needs and wants of the community, market vendors and stakeholders,” the city website states.

The market remains open with seasonal hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Wednesday market days also resumed May 7.

The market averaged 55 vendors on Saturdays in April. Since the beginning of April, many vendors have been returning for the season, even with spring weather substantially cooler than last year, the city’s parks staff reported last month, noting there also were 55 new vendor applications since the launch of a new online application in January.

“This is a much higher volume of applicants than last year, when we received 37 throughout the whole year,” staff wrote in a memo to the Park Advisory Commission. “We have admitted 18 of these 2025 applicants, 3 of which are mobile food vendors. We have rejected 26 and are assessing and processing the others now.”

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market office and restroom building demolished on May 12, 2025.

The market also is preparing for its summer food truck rally series with 15 prospective vendors, including 12 returning vendors, staff reported last month, also noting musicians will be performing on market days.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market on May 12, 2025.

The market is surrounded by active construction on multiple sides that officials say is heavily impacting it. That includes an affordable housing development across Fourth Avenue and a high-end condo development across Detroit Street, with more housing developments expected, including a seven-story condo building replacing Braun Court.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market on May 12, 2025.

The city’s 2023-2027 Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan identified these facility needs for the market:

Accessibility improvements are needed to assist mobility-challenged users access the market. The ADA spaces might not be in the best location, as they do not have direct access to the pedestrian sidewalk.
Replacing office building windows and installing a window that would better facilitate the sale of tokens without the public entering the office.
Organizing the space and improving aesthetics would help to identify the Farmers Market as a vibrant urban downtown park, especially on non-market days.
Existing Farmer’s Market signage is in need of renovation and is needed of replacement.
The wood paneling in the office and hallway is outdated and needs repair. Renovations would improve the aesthetics of this area for patrons as well as prolong the life of the materials.
Improvements to the seasonal/winter comfort of the market is desired to increase the comfort of both vendors and visitors. Future improvements could include winterization of part or all of the existing canopies.
During rain events, water enters the breezeway of the market building. A stormwater analysis needs to be conducted of the site. Consider addition of rain gardens or other stormwater management interventions.
Need to explore options or alternatives to curbs along vendor stalls to minimize tripping.
Parking demand is currently high, and future development on adjacent parking lots will further exacerbate problem. Explore options for improving transportation access.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market office and restroom building demolished on May 12, 2025.

City Council voted 8-3 in 2016 to approve a debated plan for a four-season market building that would have allowed vendors to set up indoors in a barn-like structure, providing some extra comfort in the winter, but the project was later scrapped after costs were higher than expected and there was a $137,667 gap in funds needed to make the $1.5 million project happen.