Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Secrétan Hall, also known as the Secrétan Market, is an iconic covered market in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. Built in 1868 by architect Victor Baltard, it is part of the Second Empire's metal hall tradition, with a Polonceau frame. Its location, at the corner of the Avenue Secrétan and the streets of Meaux, Bouret and Baste, marks the urban history of the area, since it was built on the former site of the second gibet of Montfaucon. This place, now protected, illustrates the evolution of Paris public spaces between traditional market and contemporary rehabilitation.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 8 March 1982, the Secrétan Hall underwent a profound transformation in the 21st century. In 2009, it was removed from the municipal public domain and entrusted to a private company, SAS Secrétan, through an emphyteotic lease. Closed in 2013 for major work, it reopens between 2015 and 2016 with a new commercial vocation: gym, supermarket, brewery, and other brands, partially replacing its initial market use. These changes, including the addition of bay windows and partial reconstruction, have generated local criticism, with some residents denouncing a loss of identity in favour of commercial logic.

The architecture of the hall, rehabilitated by Patrick Mauger, nevertheless retains major heritage elements, such as its original metal structure. Its access, served by the Bolivar metro station (line 7 bis), makes it a central location in the district. Despite the controversy over its current use, the Secrétan Hall remains a testament to the Parisian industrial heritage and contemporary issues of heritage preservation. Its history also reflects tensions between collective memory, urban modernization and privatization of public spaces.

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