Grijzestad Market Hall



The Grijzestad Market Hall is the central market hall in Grijzestad's Old Town.

History
A market hall was first constructed around 1415 with the purpose of serving as a regional gathering center. The hall was used until 1480, when the Great Grijzestad fire destroyed the building. A new market hall was built from 1480-84, which would serve the city for many centuries.

After years of decay and disrepair, it was replaced with a controversial design in the 1870s. Built from 1871-1873, it had a modern design but was not well built. During the Battle of Grijzestad (1941), the Germans bombarded the market and it was heavily damaged. Following the war, the rest of the market was torn down in order to construct a new one. But, the city's limited cash and other more important projects delayed the construction of the Market Hall. In 1969 the city finally tabled a plan for a new market, but they (and the public) could not decide on designs, construction and other points. This project was postponed indefinitely in 1972 after no progress was achieved. Concrete advances on the "New Market project" began in the early 2000s, some 45 years after the previous one was torn down.

In 2004 Anglo-Grijzestader architect Camille Bentley was selected by the city to design a new market hall. There was much controversy throughout its construction since many felt it would ruin the look of the old town. The building was completed in 2006 and it won a prize for "building of the year".