Market House (Fayetteville, North Carolina)

Market House
Location Market Sq., Fayetteville, North Carolina
Coordinates 35°3′9.2″N 78°52′41.9″W / 35.052556°N 78.878306°W / 35.052556; -78.878306Coordinates: 35°3′9.2″N 78°52′41.9″W / 35.052556°N 78.878306°W / 35.052556; -78.878306
Area less than one acre
Built 1838
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Other
NRHP Reference # 70000451
Significant dates
Added to NRHP September 15, 1970[1]
Designated NHL November 7, 1973[2]

The Market House is an unusual combination town hall and town market building in the heart of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina. Built in 1832, has an arcaded open ground level, and a meeting hall above, a form believed to be unique in the United States, but with precedents in England. It served both functions until the early 20th century, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.[2][3] It now houses a museum on the upper level.

Description and history

The Market House is located in the rotary at the center of the junction of Green, Person, Gillespie, and Hay Streets, in downtown Fayetteville. It is a two story brick building, with an open arcaded ground floor and a large meeting space on the second floor. It has a hip roof, above which rises a tower that houses a belfry and clock, and is topped by a dome and weathervane. The arches that form the arcade are symmetrical arrangements of round and lancet-pointed arches, framed in stone. Portions of the arcade extend beyond the second floor block, creating single-story sections that are topped by balustrades.[3]

The Market House was built in 1832, on the site of the building that had housed the state legislature 1788-1793; it was one of many buildings destroyed by a devastating 1831 fire. The ground floor was used as a market space until 1907, and the upper level as town hall until 1906. Faced with the prospect of demolition, a private organization was formed to take over maintenance of the property.[3] The Market House Museum is located on the second floor and features 'rotating monthly, special-emphasis Market House exhibits'.[4]

The building is believed to be a unique example of an English form, and its design may have been based in part on similar English halls found in South Shields, Stockton-on-Tees, and Abingdon-on-Thames.[3] Buildings with similar function include Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, which has an enclosed ground floor, and the City Market in Charleston, South Carolina, which also has an arcaded ground floor; both of these buildings are also National Historic Landmarks.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Staff (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Market House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 J. G. Zehmer (May 21, 1970), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Market House (pdf), National Park Service and Accompanying images, exterior, from 1970, 1972, and 1865 PDF (32 KB)
  4. ↑ "Monday at the Market House Museum"

External links

Media related to Market House (Fayetteville, North Carolina) at Wikimedia Commons

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