Marché en Fer, Iron market building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Marché en Fer consists of two cast-iron halls of about 2,000 m² each, joined by a metal gateway with a clock on its pediment and four domed iron towers. The whole structure is painted red with green accents. Photographs show arched panels of small openings above a covered arcade on slender columns, and white-painted roof trusses pierced with rows of small circular holes.

The metal structure was originally designed as a railway station for Cairo before President Florvil Hyppolite purchased it in 1891 and transported it to Port-au-Prince. This made it an example of European industrial architecture transplanted to the Caribbean.

The market is also called Marché Hyppolite, after President Florvil Hyppolite, and Marché Vallières. Its two iron halls, each about 2,000 m², were meant to hold 900 merchants selling crafts, fruit and vegetables, and beauty products after the 2011 reopening.

The building opens early in the morning as merchants arrange goods on wooden tables throughout the sales area. Visitors should expect crowded conditions and active trading, particularly during the morning hours.

After the 2010 earthquake, reconstruction workers reused original bricks from damaged nearby structures in the rebuilding process. Roof tiles were even imported from the original French manufacturer to maintain historical authenticity.