Halls is the central market of Paris, an octagonal iron structure roofed with zinc through which the city’s food passes; it is “the oldest iron structure in all Paris”, standing already in 1789 “and even a little before”.
| Type | Place (market) |
| Spanish entry | Halls |
Structure
Eight iron sides carry simple zinc roofs. There are no proper windows; light pours in from the sides, and pigeons flutter inside. The tall nave is worked vertically with platforms and pulleys; there is a barred shed and stables for the draft animals. Outside stand empty carts and a guard booth.
Work
Goods, mostly food, arrive and are unloaded, stacked and distributed. The local trade is stacking crates and ordering storage, often done alone, with duties as night watchman. Rail work is also organized around it.
Security
The building is not sealed: “if one climbed, one could get in through the roofs”. Its defense lies in padlocks on the storage, bars, rusty barbed wire added later against theft, and the guard booth; the roof is the weak point.
The fire
A fire of the Halls is recorded in connection with railway workers.
Open questions
- The name is spelled Las Halles or Les Halles, and its gender varies; none is settled.
- Whether the railway enters the building is unclear.
- What burned, when, and whether the present building is a rebuilding are unknown.
- Its size, doors and sheds, management, payment, staff, hours, and what the padlocked storage holds are not recorded.