City Market (Charleston, South Carolina) facts for kids
|
Market Hall and Sheds
|
|
|
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
|
Market Hall
|
|
 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 188 Meeting St., Charleston, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Area | .33 acres (1,300 m2) |
| Built | 1841 |
| Architect | Edward Brickell White |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Part of | Charleston Historic District (ID66000964) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001689 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | June 4, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | November 7, 1973 |
| Designated NHLDCP | October 9, 1960 |
The City Market is a famous old market in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. It started way back in the 1790s. The market stretches for four city blocks. It begins with the beautiful Market Hall and continues through a series of long, one-story market sheds. The market ends near East Bay Street.
It's important not to confuse the City Market with the Old Slave Mart. The Old Slave Mart is now a museum where enslaved people were once sold. Enslaved people were never sold at the City Market. This is a common misunderstanding. Market Hall is known for its amazing design. The whole market area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Market Hall and Sheds." It's also a special National Historic Landmark.
The market was first called the Centre Market. It was created after the city's old Beef Market building burned down in 1796. Market Hall was designed by a Charleston architect named Edward B. White. It was added in the early 1840s. For many years, the market was a busy place where farms sold meat and fresh produce. It was also a spot for local people to meet up and chat. Today, you can find vendors selling souvenirs, jewelry, and special Gullah sweetgrass baskets at the City Market. Since 1899, Market Hall has also been home to Charleston's Confederate Museum.
What Does the City Market Look Like?
Market Hall is built in a grand Greek Revival style. It has a raised main floor sitting on top of an open archway area. The building's tall base and front porch (called a portico) were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman temples.
The portico has four large Roman-style Doric columns. These columns hold up the roof structure. You can reach the upper floor by climbing a double set of stairs with fancy iron railings. The outside walls are covered with a material called stucco, made to look like brownstone. The decorations on the building, like the columns and carvings, are made of red sandstone and cement. You can see carvings of cow and ram heads. These symbols show that it was once a meat market.
The City Market stretches for about 1,240 feet (378 meters). It has a continuous series of sheds that run from east to west. North Market Street is on one side, and South Market Street is on the other. Market stalls are found on the first floor of Market Hall. They continue through a long shed that goes from the back of the hall to Church Street. More sheds stretch from Church Street to Anson Street, then to State Street, and finally to East Bay Street.
The sheds are simple, rectangular buildings with open stalls and walkways in the middle. Over the years, these sheds have been fixed up and rebuilt many times. This is because they have been damaged by earthquakes, fires, and other disasters.
A Look Back: History of the Market
Charleston's first public market started in 1692. It was at the corner of Broad and Meeting streets. A proper brick building was built there in 1739. This first "Beef Market" was replaced in 1760. Soon, new markets for fish and other goods opened on other streets.
In 1788, a Revolutionary War general named Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and other landowners gave a piece of land for a new "Centre Market." This land was once marshland. It stretched from the docks of Charleston Harbor to Meeting Street. They had three rules for this gift:
- The city had to use the land forever for Market Street and market buildings.
- The city had two years to build the market buildings.
- The landowners' remaining land near Market Street could not be specially taxed for the building costs.
If the land wasn't used for a market, the donors could take it back.
The first market sheds were built around 1790. By 1806, they covered most of the area from the harbor to Meeting Street. After the old Beef Market burned in 1796, the beef market moved to the Centre Market. In its early days, the market mainly sold food. It had separate areas for beef, fish, and farm produce. The market was also a social spot where people could gather. Interestingly, vultures were common at the market. They helped keep it clean by eating discarded meat scraps. People even protected them by law!
In 1838, a fire destroyed the market's main building. The city hired Edward B. White to design the current Market Hall. It was finished in 1841. The upper room of Market Hall was first used as a large meeting room. Later, during the Civil War, it became a place for recruiting soldiers.
When Charleston's City Hall was being repaired in 1881-1882, the mayor worked out of Market Hall.
In 1899, a group called the United Daughters of the Confederacy started using Market Hall. They created a Confederate Museum there. It showed items from the city's Confederate past. The museum closed in 1989 after Hurricane Hugo badly damaged Market Hall. The roof was partly torn off! The museum later reopened after being in a temporary spot.
By the early 1900s, fewer food sellers were using the market. In 1901, the Charleston City Council thought about replacing some market sheds with a small park. They thought it would save money and make the area nicer. But people who wanted to save old buildings disagreed. The debate continued for several years. Some wanted to tear down parts of the market, while others wanted to save it as a covered walkway. Finally, in 1905, the city decided to clean up the eastern sheds and turn them into a covered walkway. They also organized the remaining buildings, putting meat vendors on one side and fruit and vegetable sellers on the other.
On September 29, 1938, a series of tornadoes hit Charleston. They caused a lot of damage, and one tornado badly hurt the City Market.
In 1954, a special tower was put on one of the market sheds. It was used by people who watched for planes.
After Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the City of Charleston fixed up the Market Hall building. It even won an award for the restoration in 2003. The building was repainted in its original colors, which included bright yellow-orange and green ironwork. This new look surprised some locals, including the mayor, because the building had been painted in softer colors since 1906.
See also
- Market House (Fayetteville, North Carolina), a similar historic market building.
- Quincy Market, a famous market in Boston, Massachusetts.
- List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Charleston, South Carolina
