The Central Hall, formerly the Cordeliers Hall

In its early days, the Halle Centrale of Lyon occupied the Place des Cordeliers, extending between Rue Buisson (renamed Rue Antoine-Sallès in 1962) and Rue Claudia. On the initiative of Prefect Vaïsse, the Compagnie de la rue Impériale was commissioned to build this large-scale covered market. The architect Tony Desjardins was at the origin of the design of the metal structure, while the work began in the spring of 1858 under the supervision of the engineer Martin. The inauguration took place on March 1, 1859. Over time, the market evolved into a real Halle when the traders obtained the authorization to leave their stalls and scales there permanently.

The Halle is moving to Part-Dieu

However, over the years, the Halle became too cramped and obsolete. Hygiene standards for storing food were no longer respected and parking was also a problem. In the late 1960s, the mayor at the time, Louis Pradel, considered building a new Halle in the Part-Dieu district to replace the Cordeliers Halle. The old halle was demolished in January 1971, while the new one was inaugurated in February of the same year. In 2005-2006, the building underwent a major renovation, including the addition of a large transparent glass façade overlooking the Cours Lafayette.

Halle in figures

In its edition of June 28, 1858 (source BML), “Le Salut Public” offers a detailed description of the Halle still under construction at the Cordeliers:

• The covered market "will occupy an area of approximately 3,500 square meters.
• It will have spacious cellars, deemed necessary to preserve foodstuffs susceptible to deterioration due to exposure to the open air or high temperatures.
• The market will be framed along its length by two parallel streets, each with a width of 8 meters. These streets will open to the north onto Rue Gentil and to the south onto Place des Cordeliers.
• The structure will resemble a huge greenhouse, divided into three naves supported by cast iron columns, with vaults formed by glass frames.
• The side naves will be 6 meters high, while the middle one will reach 11 meters 50 centimeters, rising to 16 meters under the central lantern.
• A stone base will outline the market, which will have five openings on each of the side streets mentioned.