City Market (Charleston, South Carolina)

The City Market is a historic market complex in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Established in the 1790s, the market stretches for four city blocks from the architecturally-significant Market Hall, which faces Meeting Street, through a continuous series of one-story market sheds, the last of which terminates at East Bay Street. The market should not be confused with the Old Slave Mart (now a museum) where slaves were sold, as slaves were never sold in the City Market (this is a common misconception). The City Market Hall has been described as a building of the “highest architectural design quality. ” The entire complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Market Hall and Sheds and was further designated a National Historic Landmark. Initially known as the Centre Market, Charleston’s City Market was developed as a replacement for the city’s Beef Market building (on the site of Charleston’s City Hall, 100 Broad Street), which burned in 1796. Market Hall, designed by Charleston architect Edward B. White, was added in the early 1840s. Throughout the 19th century, the market provided a convenient place for area farms and plantations to sell beef and produce, and also acted as a place for locals to gather and socialize. Today, the City Market’s vendors sell souvenirs and other items ranging from jewelry to Gullah sweetgrass baskets. Since 1899, the City Market has housed Charleston’s Confederate Museum.