Old Market Building - Cobourg, Ontario
Posted by: 
elyob
N 43° 57.530 W 078° 10.070
17T E 727226 N 4871200
The address of this building is 201 Third Street.
Waymark Code: WMWQBV
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 10/01/2017
Views: 3
The text below is only a portion of the infomation published on the Historic Places web site.
Located at the intersection of Third and Albert Streets, the Old Market Building is adjacent to Victoria Hall, contributing to the long-standing tradition of situating market facilities with municipal government offices. Situated in the centre of Cobourg's downtown, the market both contributed to, and reinforced the commercial character of the area. This association has been formally recognized by the market's inclusion in Cobourg's Commercial Core Heritage Conservation District. The significant open space around the structure served to facilitate the trade and traffic associated with a market function.
The Old Market Building, built 1856, is historically significant as part of the town's historic commercial centre and was part of a civic building campaign that included Victoria Hall (1856-60). Construction of these buildings reflect the economic prosperity and confidence possessed by Cobourg's citizens during the late 1840's and early 1850's, when Cobourg enjoyed great economic growth due to its busy harbour, port of entry status, and agricultural wealth from local wheat production. Adding to the optimism of the period was the opening of the railway to Peterborough in 1854, and Cobourg's position on the Grand Trunk Railway's main line connecting Montreal and Toronto, which brought service to Cobourg in 1856. Resulting from the belief that Cobourg was to become an important city from these developments, the imposing Victoria Hall and substantial Market were planned on a commensurate scale with the community's prospective greatness. The property surrounding the Old Market Building still serves as a farmer's market and maintains the tradition of a public market in Cobourg which originated around 1832.
The Old Market Building is architecturally representative of a mid-19th century market building. Constructed to house produce, meat and other vendors, the original plan included ten stalls for butchers and cellars underneath. The broad roof with substantial overhang was to provide additional shelter to vendors and customers and is unusual in its absence of supporting braces. The market was designed by a noted Toronto architect, Kivas Tully, architect of Victoria Hall and whose work included Trinity College in Toronto. While utilitarian in comparison to the elaborate Victoria Hall, the adjacent Old Market Building is substantial in size and construction. Piers with simple capitals and bases define the bays of the building and lend the structure a Classical Revival character. Large windows and simple transom lights reinforce this distinction. Elsewhere, other period markets were typically incorporated within the base of the town hall rather than receiving their own free-standing building, or consisted of functional frame structures. This separation in Cobourg of the market from the town hall is one of the earliest examples in Canada of the later trend to separate the market-place from the municipal administrative and government offices.