Restoration and expansion of Mercado del Este

Santander, Cantabria, Cantabria.
Special mention / Diploma in the category Conservation / Conservation and adaptive reuse in the year 2002.

Dating of the building: 1839.

Applicant: Carlos de Riaño Lozano.

Reason for the award :

For the restoration of the Mercado del Este, one of the few examples of civil wooden architecture in Spain.

  • © Víctor Gibello Bravo
  • © Víctor Gibello Bravo
  • © Víctor Gibello Bravo
  • © Víctor Gibello Bravo
  • © Víctor Gibello Bravo

If the Mercado del Este was not demolished in its entirety, it was because the Government declared it a Site of Cultural Interest in 1986 when the demolition procedure had already begun.

The Mercado del Este, declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1986 and National Architecture Prize Laurate in 1997, is located in the heart of Santander’s capital.

Constructed in 1839 by the architect Antonio de Zabaleta, it is one of the first public markets in Spain. The building was an excellent example of wooden architecture in Neoclassical style, previous to the metal architecture later characteristic of this type of building. Its architectural value was not an obstacle for the City Council, claiming a state of ruin, to decree its demolition in 1986. Its declaration from the Government as a Site of Cultural Interest saved it from total disappearance. After sixteen years of closure and three of rehabilitation, the Mercado del Este reopened its doors with 2,000 m2 of surface on the upper floor identical to the lower floor, where an exhibition hall is located. The conservation has only preserved the perimeter walls, but the interior structure, made entirely of wood, and the paved floor today reproduce Zabaleta’s design.

Others awards in Cantabria: