Soulard Farmers Market

[1] It has a reputation of being the oldest public market in the United States west of the Mississippi River.

[5][6] Gabriel Cerré gave his son-in-law, Soulard, a 122-acre plot of land that included the market area.

[5][6] Prior to any buildings, local farmers set up in a ring with horses and wagons, from which they would sell their goods.

[5] In 1929, a Renaissance-style building replaced the original, and was modeled after the Foundling Hospital designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1419 in Florence, Italy.

[1][3][4][7][9] The symmetrical building is five bays wide; its first story has a central, arched entry flanked by multi-light windows under a colonnade.

Above are porthole windows, topped by a Romanesque corbel table under a pyramidal tile roof.

[10] The vendors sell a variety of goods, such as fresh produce, fish, cheese, soap, and handicrafts.

[11] Several studies were conducted at Soulard Farmers Market, where both wholesale and retail sales occurred.