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The Fish Market, one of the symbols of the city both for its dwellers and for tourists, exists since the first half of the 17th century, but obtained its current appearance in the early 20th century. The current building was constructed by engineers Bento Miranda and Raimundo Viana, and inaugurated on December 1st, 1901. According to  historian Geraldo Gomes, these engineers, some of the most active in Belém during the government of Intendant Lemos (1843-1913), built the market and were granted a concession for its commercial exploitation. Its metallic structure was brought from the United States, although we cannot specify where it was manufactured. Its inauguration received ample publicity in the press and in Municipal Government reports, which described its metallic structure in great detail.

The building is a rectangle, "whose angles were abated through polygonal alignments", with four towers, one on each side. The building also has four entrances, and its façade is over 8 meters high. Gomes compares these towers to the belfries of Gothic cathedrals, which, according to the author, might betray this structures European origins.

Its floor plan has stores opening to the outside and stands along the internal rectangle. On the center of the pavilion, there is an octagonal shaped compartment that used to be the market's administration. The roof, made of Marseille tiles, featured glass oculi and zinc-covered towers. Ventilation was through lateral venetian blinds and through a central ridge vent, but as early as 1902 a report stated that the excess light and heat needed to be corrected. The market was heavily modified; in the roof, by the removal of the oculus and, in the façade, by the introduction of slabs, but it works regularly near an open market that was recently restructured according to a modern plan.

On the façades, made of smooth and corrugated metal sheets, the main doorways are composed of a light decoration in volutes associated to frames under round arches. The doors of external commercial establishments are also in round arches. According to Gomes, "the absence of cast iron is surprising"? in this building, where only profiled iron was used.

The market's characteristic profile, with its four towers and the bustle of commercial activity, is the town's most well-known reference. A melting pot of European and native cultures during colonial times, the market is now, after more than 300 years, a colorful showcase of food, crafts and traditional practices. 

based on:

Paper "Churches, Palaces and Mansions of Belém" IPHAN

Authors: Jussara da Silveira Derenji e Jorge Derenji