Central Market (Alicante)
Picture: Wikimedia Commons
Eclectic in style, with ornaments typical of Valencian modernism, the Central Market of Alicante was inaugurated at the beginning of the 20th century. It was designed by the famous architect Francisco Fajardo Guardiola, who began the work in 1915. Its culmination in 1922 corresponded to Juan Vidal Ramos.
The plan of the building is traditionally rectangular, but with a rotunda to the southwest to compensate for the irregularity of the site. Its rotunda has a hemispherical cover and is presented with a different volume from the main one. Its most emblematic façade, located on Alfonso el Sabio Avenue, is the one with a large staircase.
The building has a semi-basement and an upper level where the sales stalls are located, all organized in a porticoed structural system along with three basilica-style naves, in which the premises are grouped to form long blocks in a longitudinal direction.
To achieve a more harmonious distribution of space, the building uses pillars and trusses made of rolled steel, and its sloping and divided roofs towards the sides allow for splendid and elegant overhead lighting. It is worth noting that the glazed and light materials on its sides are combined with the brick on the main facades, and the resulting holes are torn vertically when interspersed with the solid bands running from top to bottom on its main floor.
The eclectic style present throughout the construction is supported by ornamental elements of the modernist type, such as the carpanel arch at its entrance, the texture of its materials or the tiles, with other characteristically traditional elements such as its Ionic volutes and Herrerian pinnacles.
Without a doubt, the Central Market of Alicante is one of the most interesting architectural jewels of the city. Its beauty and exoticism attract a large number of tourists.
The plan of the building is traditionally rectangular, but with a rotunda to the southwest to compensate for the irregularity of the site. Its rotunda has a hemispherical cover and is presented with a different volume from the main one. Its most emblematic façade, located on Alfonso el Sabio Avenue, is the one with a large staircase.
The building has a semi-basement and an upper level where the sales stalls are located, all organized in a porticoed structural system along with three basilica-style naves, in which the premises are grouped to form long blocks in a longitudinal direction.
To achieve a more harmonious distribution of space, the building uses pillars and trusses made of rolled steel, and its sloping and divided roofs towards the sides allow for splendid and elegant overhead lighting. It is worth noting that the glazed and light materials on its sides are combined with the brick on the main facades, and the resulting holes are torn vertically when interspersed with the solid bands running from top to bottom on its main floor.
The eclectic style present throughout the construction is supported by ornamental elements of the modernist type, such as the carpanel arch at its entrance, the texture of its materials or the tiles, with other characteristically traditional elements such as its Ionic volutes and Herrerian pinnacles.
Without a doubt, the Central Market of Alicante is one of the most interesting architectural jewels of the city. Its beauty and exoticism attract a large number of tourists.
Location
What to see in Alicante
