When fires ravaged parts of D.C.’s history three weeks ago, Georgetown did not stand idly by.

University Librarian Artemis Kirk has led the university’s effort to help restore the Georgetown Neighborhood Library after it lost numerous valuable relics during a fire on April 30. Numerous newspapers, books and photographs were ruined during the fire.

“It’s very sad when there’s any kind of tragedy anywhere,” Kirk said. “We’re ready, willing and able to sort them out in any way.”

Two days after the fire, Kirk contacted the Georgetown Library with a list of ways the university libraries would be able to provide assistance.

“What we really thought we could be the most helpful in was to offer the archivist of the Georgetown branch a residency here where he could . look through all of our files and our records, because we have thousands of photographs, a lot of which document the area of Georgetown,” Kirk said. She said that the university library’s special collections contain about 100,000 rare books, 700 collections of manuscripts, fine art prints, and university archives, photographs and art collections.

Kirk offered duplication privileges to the D.C. Public Library archivist, Jerry McCoy, which Georgetown Library accepted, according to Karen Blackman-Mills, interim head of special collections at DCPL.

While the Georgetown Library is being rebuilt, Lauinger Library has been opened up to neighborhood residents, Kirk said. Residents cannot borrow books from the library, however, but Kirk said that the university may be willing to allow some borrowing privileges.

Kirk also offered Pierce Reading Room in Lauinger Library for Georgetown Library to hold its story hour and summer reading program.

Mark Greek, salvage coordinator for the Georgetown Library recovery, said that the restoration of the library is still in the clean-up phase, and the building is receiving temporary roofs and walls to prevent dissembling. He said that a full reconstruction is still at least three years away.

Greek added that the library will probably be able to replace or restore many of the damaged materials.

“Recovery-wise we were lucky,” he said. “We were fortunate to recover what we could.”

Jenna Lowenstein (COL ’09), a commissioner for the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, said that at the first ANC meeting after the fire, there was a “pretty considerable” outpouring of concern from the community, as evidenced by several offers of aid.

“I know the firehouse offered to move their fire trucks so they could have reading time in the firehouse,” she said. “There’s going to be a bookmobile that will go around. People are really devoted to making sure the library continues its services.”

While the Georgetown Library has been receptive of Kirk’s offers, they have not yet responded definitively.

“My suspicion right now is that they’re overwhelmed with the help and support of members of the community,” Kirk said. “It’s up to the [D.C. Public Library] at this time to tell us what they need.”

The day that the Georgetown Library went up in flames, another fire destroyed the roof of the Eastern Market, which the city is also actively rebuilding.

The once-bustling building that housed 13 stands has now been emptied, boarded up and fenced off. Three vendors now stand on the other side of the ash-covered walls selling produce and flowers, while the deli owners and meat vendors who cannot bring their equipment outside have temporarily gone out of business.

Joanne Jung, a produce vendor who maintained her business, said that sales have been slower than usual. She speculated that either people do not know that Eastern Market is still open or that they would rather shop at places where they can buy meat and dairy as well as fruits and vegetables.

Tom Calomiris, another displaced vendor, said that he was told the Eastern Market building would take two years to restore. In the meantime, a temporary steel structure would be set up across the street within the next four months.

“Business is not what it was when it was inside,” he said. “A lot of employees have been displaced.”

Capitol Hill Community Foundation, a fundraising foundation supported by voluntary contributions, has so far raised over $200,000 for the Eastern Market’s restoration.

Although it may be years before either site has completely risen from the ashes, with the help of their surrounding communities and the university, restoration and recovery is underway. “[There’s] so much there that we can use,” Blackman-Mills said of Georgetown’s resources. “[It’s] very generous.”

– HOYA Staff Writer Ji-Hye Park contributed to this report.