Municipal Markets in Rio de Janeiro
Beyond the distribution and sale of food products, markets are also important spaces for sociability and collective exchange, and have impacted the urban landscape
Trecho da Planta Architecturial da Cidade do Rio de JaneiroGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
The Candelária Market
The market was inaugurated in 1841 at the request of the municipality. It served to control the sales of street vendors, who were mainly slaves working for wages. It was located between Mercado Street, Ouvidor Street, and Praça XV de Novembro.
Glória Market
The markets were scattered throughout the city - in the neighborhoods of Méier, Saúde, Bangu, Benfica, Santa Cruz, or in the old Largo do Capim. Augusto Malta's photograph is a record of the beginning of the demolition of the Glória Market, inaugurated in 1858 and demolished in 1903 by Pereira Passos.
Former General Osório Square, 1918
Bento Ribeiro, Mayor of the Federal District (1910-1914), was present at the inauguration of the market square located between Uruguaiana and Andradas streets. It was also called Largo do Capim and Praça Lopes Trovão, before being demolished to make way for Avenida Presidente Vargas.
Demolição do Mercado MunicipalGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Market at Praça XV: from inauguration to demolition
By convention, the Market, located in Praça Marechal Âncora, was identified by its proximity to Praça XV. Built with an iron structure imported from Europe, the quadrilateral had 4 octagonal turrets at the ends and a central tower.
On December 14, 1907, the 20,000 square meter Market was inaugurated with the presence of the President of the Republic, Afonso Pena (1906-1909), the Mayor of the Federal District, Sousa Aguiar (1906-1909), and the directors of the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Market Company - João Franklin de Alencar Lima, Pupo de Moraes, José Martins Pollo, and Pedreira do Couto Ferraz. On the right, Canon Antonio Geronimo de Carvalho Rodrigues, vicar of the Parish of São José, blesses the Market during its inauguration.
Projeto de Alinhamento - Obras do Elevado da PerimetralGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
The beginning of the end
For the construction of the Perimetral Elevated Highway, sections of the Municipal Market were demolished, including the central tower. The inauguration of the first section of the elevated highway took place in 1960, connecting Santos Dumont Airport to the Candelária Church.
The Municipal Market coexisted with the Perimetral Elevated Highway for some years: the original project maintained the central tower of the Market, but in practice it was not spared.
On the left, you can see the Municipal Market with sections demolished; you can also see the support structures for the Perimetral highway; on the right, the Perimetral highway over the Market without its central tower.
Vista aérea do Mercado Municipal (14.11.1960)General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
While the Perimetral highway was being built above the Municipal Market, merchants were already searching for a new space to construct the new food distribution center. The land of the former Veado cigarette factory in Benfica was acquired by the merchants themselves.
Demolição do Mercado Municipal (09.01.1962)General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Finally, the end
At 6:40 AM on January 9, 1962, the complete demolition of the Municipal Market began. Approximately 320 businesses that had operated for decades in the city's central region relocated to the new site in Benfica.
The merchants, mostly Portuguese and Italian immigrants and their descendants, gradually began removing equipment and merchandise. The final connection of the Perimetral Elevated Highway, next to the Rio-Niterói Bridge, was completed on May 30, 1978.
Tap to explore
Albamar Restaurant occupied one of the towers of the Municipal Market since 1933. After the market was demolished, it remained fully operational. The metal structure is listed as a historical landmark by INEPAC.
Mayor of the City of Rio de Janeiro:
Eduardo Cavalieri
Secretary of Culture:
Lucas Padilha Wosgrau
President of the General Archive of the City:
Elizeu Santiago Tavares de Sousa
Director of Collection:
Rafael Martins de Araujo
Exhibition and historical research:
Conrado Werneck Pimentel and Luísa da Costa Oliveira
Creation and assembly:
Conrado Werneck Pimentel and Luísa da Costa de Oliveira
Bibliographic references:
A Praça XV de Novembro como fachada a cidade do Rio de Janeiro: uma nova relação dos espaços livres com a Baia de Guanabara.
Rodrigo Carneiro Leão Ferreira
Desaparecimento de um mercado e permanência de uma feira: estudo de suas consequentes exxpressões no espaço urbano das cidades do Rio de Janeiro e Salvador
Carolina Maria Rebouças França
Projetos urbanísticos, mercados populares e processos de patrimonialização na cidade do Rio de Janeiro
Nina Pinheiro Bitar
Mercados no Rio de Janeiro: 1834 - 1962
Samuel Gorberg e Sergio A. Fridman
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