Public Markets with CDROM (Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architectur)

The public market is a worldwide urban phenomenon with a tradition as old as cities themselves, continuing today in the greenmarket movement. Surveyed here by type are open-air marketplaces, street markets, street vendors, markets that occupy the ground floor of public buildings, open-sided sheds situated in the middle of wide streets, and fully-enclosed market houses, as well as central markets and wholesale markets, whose complex of buildings and streets encompass entire market districts. Special features include an essay on the nearly two-hundred-year history of the Fulton Fish Market in New York City and a section on the people and activities that make the public-market system work--from the farmers and fishermen who travel before dawn to the sanitation staff who clean up at the end of the day. Public markets persist as an enduring and universal form of urban food marketing and distribution, and a strong sense of tradition informs their architecture, design, and engineering.

An illustrated history of the buildings and spaces devoted to the urban marketplace for fresh food.

The public market is a worldwide urbanphenomenon with a tradition as old as citiesthemselves, continuing today in the greenmarketmovement. Surveyed here by type are open-airmarketplaces, street markets, street vendors, markets that occupy the ground floor of publicbuildings, open-sided sheds situated in themiddle of wide streets, and fully-enclosedmarket houses, as well as central markets andwholesale markets, whose complex of buildingsand streets encompass entire market districts.Special features include an essay on the nearlytwo-hundred-year history of the Fulton FishMarket in New York City and a section on thepeople and activities that make thepublic-market system work-from the farmers andfishermen who travel before dawn to thesanitation staff who clean up at the end of theday. Public markets persist as an enduring anduniversal form of urban food marketing anddistribution, and a strong sense of traditioninforms their architecture, design, andengineering.

Helen Tangires is administrator of CASVA, National Gallery of Art, and lives in Washington, DC.