The Newport News Seafood Market is planned as a civic and cultural anchor for the City of Newport News. Designed by Work Program Architects (WPA), the 7,200-square-foot building and its surrounding outdoor spaces will transform a city-owned former parking lot at the southern tip of Newport News into a vibrant community hub.
A part of the broader Marshall-Ridley Choice Neighborhood Initiative, the market will serve the city’s historically Black southeast neighborhoods, commonly known as the East End. The project aims to celebrate the city’s seafood industry while offering fresh food access, economic opportunity, and a dynamic “third place” for residents and visitors.
The building reflects its industrial surroundings through an architectural language of exposed metal structure, corrugated metal roofing, fiber cement cladding, and warm wood accents, fitting within the working landscape of the Seafood Industrial Park and the adjacent Small Boat Harbor. The design also addresses challenges of the industrial siting. The structure is elevated five feet above grade to accommodate floodplain conditions and deep pile foundations assure stability in inconsistent ground soil.
Inside, the market features a central, flexible hall anchored by a large seafood counter with indoor and outdoor service windows. Additional programming includes a raw bar, vendor stalls, a shared commissary kitchen for vendors, and a corner beverage bar. An administrative office houses the Harbor Master on site to manage the Seafood Industrial Park from the new facility. Outside, a mix of shaded plazas, edible landscapes, and flexible gathering spaces support events, live performances, pop-up markets, and informal community use. A boardwalk extension led by the city will further connect the site to its working waterfront. Glowing “jumping fish” signage will catch the eye of commuters and travelers on Interstate 664 and a salvaged ocean buoy acts as a sculptural landmark for the neighborhood.
Designed with community input at every step, the Newport News Seafood Market embodies the cultural, economic, and environmental aspirations of the East End. Though modest in size, the building boldly embodies reclamation and resilience, creating new opportunities while honoring the area’s deep-rooted maritime heritage.
