ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the historical development of La Lyre Market, introduced in Algiers by the French colonial powers in the second half of the nineteenth century. The Haussmanian planning method of ‘percement’ was implemented, meaning that the organic urban fabric of the city was pierced withstraight street geometries and the market was located at the lower limit of the medieval urban fabric of Algiers. Its strategic location connects the early colonial urban interventions in Algiers with the historic urban fabric of the Casbah. This chapter highlights the historical value of this market hall with its architecture based on cast-iron structures, reminiscent of Les Halles Centrales in Paris. Originally a wholesale distribution market, its location at the intersection of important thoroughfares, linking Algiers’ colonial urban fabric to the Mediterranean port and main railway station, has favoured its continuous operation since the nineteenth century. In this chapter, key historical and industrial heritage values associated with the La Lyre Market Hall are highlighted, alongside its importance in the collective memory of local communities and its resilience as an urban node. Recommendations are made for increasing stakeholders’ awareness of this important but neglected heritage, with the aim of rehabilitating and celebrating its structure, and restoring its original architectural spaces with their functional, environmental, and experiential qualities.
