BALTARD, Victor
(b. 1805, Paris, d. 1874, Paris)

Bird's-Eye View of Les Halles, Paris

1863
Print
Library of Congress, Washington

Les Halles was Paris's central fresh food market. It was demolished in 1971 and replaced by the Westfield Forum des Halles, a modern shopping mall built largely underground.

Baltard began work on his best-known project, Les Halles Centrales, in 1845, when he and Félix-Emmanuel Callet (1791-1854) were appointed to design a new covered market to serve Paris. They researched extensively the recent history of the building type, visiting Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Britain. In 1847 a design for eight large stone pavilions with iron roof structures was submitted. One such pavilion was built (1851-53; destroyed 1860s) but was found to have defective ventilation and poor access. The emperor, Napoleon III, stopped all work after a site visit and ordered a competition to be held to find an improved design. With Haussmann's support, Baltard and Callet retained the commission, and although they were reluctant to abandon the use of masonry, they accepted the imperial demands for a 'vast umbrella' and quickly produced a second design (1853) using iron and glass.

The first pavilion of a planned total of 14 was begun in 1854, in which year Baltard assumed full responsibility for the project, and the tenth was completed in 1866. Two more were built in 1936.