Tonnerre Patrimoine

Covered market

Since the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of Tonnerre have been accustomed to meeting several times a week at the Halle Daret to do their shopping. But by the end of the 19th century, shopkeepers and customers alike were tired of walking up steep alleyways and jostling each other in a narrow, awkward hall. Rousseau, the architect commissioned to build a new market, opted for a Baltard-style metal framework. The premises were inaugurated in April 1903 in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Mougeot.

In February 1901, a special commission met for the first time. Its task was to find a new site for the municipal market, since Halle Daret was inconvenient, on which to build a structure or use existing buildings. And soon enough, the Hôtel-Dieu became the most serious choice. This vast hall, built by Marguerite de Bourgogne in 1293 and now completely disused, was ideally located in the center of town.

In May 1902, architect Baume submitted his plans to elected officials and the public. The west gable of the building would be pierced by 5 monumental doors, topped by a half-rose window. The project would require the destruction of the terrace overlooking rue de l'Hôpital, the neoclassical façade and the 18th-century ward. The side doors would be replaced by glass ones, and a dividing wall would be built in the Grande Salle to allow the hospital to use the church.

However, this initiative was soon met with widespread protests. Dr. Chaput, a surgeon at Paris hospitals and originally from Tonner, took up the defense of the Hôtel-Dieu. He published two works on the medieval edifice and raised a national subscription to restore it, on condition that the market was not set up under its roof.

Such was the wave of protest that the mayor, Edmond Jacob, justified his project in a column in Le Bourguignon. He explained that, contrary to certain rumors, it was not his intention to demolish or downgrade the Hôtel-Dieu. The chosen architect would be approved by the Beaux-Arts, and, should the project ever be validated by the city council, the city would remain open to all criticism.

The position of the hospital, the main stakeholder in the project, is rather ambiguous. At first, in the summer of 1901, the board of directors "formally refuses the installation of a covered market in place of the Hospital Church". Then, as the months went by, it rallied behind the project, which would provide the providential sum of 40,000 francs needed to create an operating theatre and new patient rooms.

The protest movement gained such momentum that it reached the ears of the government. On February 3, 1903, the mayor was summoned to explain the current project to the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts. The following month, an inspection visit took place in situ, which did nothing to convince the Beaux-Arts commissioner. The project was rejected by the latter, who undertook to have the Hôtel-Dieu restored at the State's expense. He even went so far as to offer the hospital a subsidy to finance its operating theater and isolation wards. Dr. Chaput, who was present during the visit, indicated that the funds raised would be used to maintain the monument.

If all goes well for the Hôtel-Dieu, the case for the covered market is back where it started. Where to locate it in Tonnerre? The special commission went back to work and proposed four projects:

Le pâtis: the site already belongs to the town, saving it expensive acquisition costs. The site is vast, close to the station and communication routes, but it spoils the tranquility of the park and is too far from the shops. Inhabitants of neighboring villages who go there would leave without "having returned to the city".

Halle Daret: an elected representative suggests continuing to occupy the current market square. In his opinion, however, the goods on display will be fewer in the years to come, which means that the position of this hall needs to be reconsidered. This project was rejected for the reasons given above: difficulty of access, narrowness of the site.

A flying market: why not use a structure that can be dismantled and moved easily? While this idea has been applied in large cities, it doesn't fit in Tonnerre. Set-up and dismantling costs could end up costing more than a new building. What's more, we still need to find a location for this flying market. The Place de la République is being considered, but its proximity to the girls' school raises concerns about their safety (increased traffic).

La Halle au blé: there's a market hall under the new town hall. Its location is ideal, right in the center of town, and expansion would not be too costly. The site won the support of the majority of elected representatives.
On May 27, 1903, architect Rousseau presented his plans and estimate. The hall beneath the town hall was to be extended by a fully glazed metal framework, and the partitions were to be made of brick. To bring some light into the semi-buried area, glass blocks will be placed on the Town Hall staircase.
On June 4, 1903, the council approved Rousseau's project, which cost 92,000 francs.

Work began in the autumn, and on March 16, 1904, Tonnerre's new covered market was inaugurated in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture.

Inspired by Baltard, the architecture of this building is quite daring. Cast iron, glass, ceramics and brick are combined in harmonious, vertical lines that stand out from other industrial buildings. Although these structures were quite successful in the early 20th century, they were often subsequently destroyed. The one in Tonnerre is therefore a testament to this little-known or forgotten heritage. In 1991, the covered market was listed on the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments and awarded the "20th Century Heritage" label.