The Municipal Market of São Paulo ( Portuguese: Mercado Municipal Paulistano, or Mercado Municipal de São Paulo) is a large public market in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil. It was designed by the architect Francisco Ramos de Azevedo and inaugurated on January 25, 1933 as a wholesale and retail post specializing in fruits, vegetables, cereals, meats, spices, and other food products. The market is located in the Mercado neighborhood, a name that references the market, in the historic center of São Paulo. It is located near the

Tamanduateí River The Tamanduateí River (in Portuguese: ''Rio Tamanduateí'', ) is a river of São Paulo state in southeastern Brazil. See also *List of rivers of São Paulo List of rivers in São Paulo ( Brazilian State). The list is arranged by drainage basi ...

in the old Várzea do Carmo, a floodplain of the river now primarily used as Dom Pedro II Park. The market was formally named the ''Mercado Municipal São Paulo'' in 1995.

Structure

The first floor of the market is occupied by retailers, and the second floor mezzanine serves as a restaurant. The Mercadão occupies and has 1,500 employees working at various in the building. 450 tons of food passes through the market per day in more than 290 boxes.

Façade

The façade of the Municipal Market is the work of Felisberto Ranzini (1882–1976), an Italian-Brazilian who worked in the architectural office of Ramos de Azevedo. Ranzini, who also participated in the construction of the São Francisco Law School, utilized a mix of Ionic and Doric columns on the municipal market. The massive columns allow for large spaces for glazing in the market which in turn provide a large source of natural light.

Stained glass

The market is noted for its

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

. 72 stained glass, arranged in 32 panels, are the work of the artist

Conrado Sorgenicht Filho Conrado may refer to: People with the given name *Gregorio Conrado Álvarez (1925–2016), Uruguayan general and former dictator * Luis Conrado Batlle or Luis Batlle Berres (1897–1964), Uruguayan political figure *Conrado Benitez (1889–1971), f ...

and his office, Casa Conrado Sorgenicht. Sorgenicht is noted for his work the windows of the

São Paulo Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady Assumption and Saint Paul (), also known as the See Cathedral (), is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo, Brazil. Its current and seventh metropolitan archbishop is Dom Odil ...

and 300 other Brazilian churches. Unlike stained glass produced as sacred works, the windows of the market depict various aspects of food production in the greater São Paulo region.

Renovation

A third and most significant renovation of the market was proposed in 2003 as part of the Program for the Revitalization of Central São Paulo (Programa de Revitalização do Centro de São Paulo) financed by the

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...

. A new mezzanine with eight restaurants, new exterior lighting, and the replacement of the market floor with granite slabs were completed by August 2004.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Municipal Market of Sao Paulo Buildings and structures in São Paulo Retail markets in Brazil Tourist attractions in São Paulo