Location Port-au-Prince, Haiti | Opening date 1891–2008
2011–present | |
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L ambiance du march en fer
Marché en Fer or Marché de Fer (English: Iron Market) also known as the Marché Hyppolite and the Marché Vallières is a public market in Haiti’s capital, Port‑au‑Prince.
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March en fer
History
The Marché en Fer is a metal edifice built in 1890s Paris for a railway station in Cairo. When that plan was canceled, Haitian president Florvil Hyppolite purchased it and had it brought to Haiti in 1891.
The market is made of two iron‑framed halls, 2,000 m2 (22,000 sq ft) each, connected by a gate with four domed towers and with a clock on the gate’s façade. The entire structure is painted red, with green accents.
The market has been torched several times and was in a state of disrepair before it was abandoned in 2008. The market was completely destroyed by the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Reconstruction
Designated as a "historical heritage" by the Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National, it was rebuilt and reopened a year after the earthquake, with the financial support Irishman Denis O'Brien, owner of the mobile phone company Digicel, who invested US$ 12 million.
Bricks recovered from buildings damaged in the earthquake were reused in reconstruction and the same French corporation that manufactured the original roof tiles made the replacements.