Food markets of the early Nineteen Century: from Mercado de Abasto Proveedor of Buenos Aires till Mercati Generali of Torino

Abstract

Because of the increasing of urban centres, in the second half of the nineteenth century, new buildings are built in order to accommodate selling activities. They are essentially utilitarian architectures, bare of decorations, which show technical and material aspects. In recent decades, however, since they no longer fulfill the purpose for which they were originally built, these structures have often been the object of interventions that have revived the use through changes not always respectful of the buildings. In the belief that the actions of reuse should instead be a means through which it is pursued the conservation of this "material evidence having civilization value", this report is a contribution to the knowledge of concrete covered market buildings made in the thirties of twentieth century in Italy, as well as in Argentina, critically analyzing reuse interventions recently conducted.