Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Halle Castellane, built in 1858 in Montpellier, is directly inspired by the Baltard halls in Paris. The municipal architect Jean Cassan uses innovative materials for the period: iron, cast iron and zinc for the cover, while preserving the stone for the corners. Inaugurated in February 1859, it replaced an expropriated former butchery district, marking an urban modernisation of the ECUson sector.

Prior to its construction, the site was known as Île de la Boucherie, where a fish shop was built in 1748 by the Giral brothers. The breakthrough of the Rue Saint-Guilhem and the expropriation of the houses in 1840 allowed to build a place dedicated to Marshal Boniface de Castellane, initiator of the project. The latter laid the first stone in 1858, sealing the transformation of the neighborhood.

In 1969, the hall underwent a major change with the addition of a sheet and glazing covering, partially masking its original structure. Ranked a historic monument in 1999, it was renovated in 2002 to separate the traditional market (ground floor) from a commercial space on the first floor, successively welcoming cultural and ready-to-wear signs. Today, it remains a symbol of 19th century industrial architecture.

Rectangular (22 m × 50 m), the hall rests on vaulted stone cellars and is surmounted by a lantern. Its integration into the pedestrian sector of the ECUson makes it a central place of Montpellier's life, combining heritage and commercial activity. The original materials, partially hidden, bear witness to the revolutionary constructive techniques of the time.

External links