Marché en Fer

Iron Market
French: Marché en fer
Haitian Creole: Mache an fè

Exterior view around 1907
Coordinates 18°33′05″N 72°20′35″W / 18.5515°N 72.3431°W / 18.5515; -72.3431
Location Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Opening date 1891–2008
2011–present

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.[1]

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.[2][3][4]

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.[5]

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.[6][7][8]

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.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "L'historique Marché en fer reconstruit seulement un an après le séisme qui l'avait détruit" (Press release) (in French). Digicel. 13 January 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Bhatia, Pooja (10 January 2011). "A Symbol of Hope for Haiti, a Landmark Again Stands Tall". New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. ↑ Basu, Moni (21 May 2010). "Haiti trying to avoid past mistakes as rebuilding begins". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 August 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Coomes, Phil (13 January 2013). "Inside Haiti's Iron Market". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Laurince, Jonas (11 January 2011). "Haïti : le Marché en Fer, un joyau au cœur d'une capitale dévastée" (in French). Haiti Press Network. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Le marché en Fer symbole de la renaissance Haïtienne". Digicel (Press release) (in French). 12 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Vulliamy, Ed (9 January 2011). "How an Irish telecoms tycoon became Haiti's only hope of salvation". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Luxner, Larry (31 August 2012). "Haiti's New Envoy Wants Investment Dollars, Not Pity". The Washington Diplomat. Silver Spring, Maryland. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015.
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