Few local buildings have borne witness to as much change as Macao’s Red Market.
Since 1936, the iconic building, in its unmistakable shade of fire-engine red, has stood on Avenida do Almirante Lacerda. While Macao has risen around it, the three-storey facility has served the local community with fresh produce and dried goods.
The stretch of sea that once lapped beside the building was reclaimed and apartment complexes were built. Still, the Red Market – the SAR’s first indoor fresh market, and the only such building listed as a classified immovable property (cultural heritage) – has continued to keep the community supplied, even as Macao transformed into the bustling multifaceted destination it is today.
In 2022, the market closed for renovations.
It reopened two years later with the same vibrant energy it has always radiated. Following this recent revamp, it now stands as a testament to Macao’s commitment to preserving its rich heritage while adapting to modern needs.
A brief history
In 1933, Macao’s land commission approved plans to build a new market on a 1,450-square-metre plot on Avenida do Almirante Lacerda. The city’s population was growing fast, its economy was changing and a new, more hygienic market was needed to cater to demand.
Architect Júlio Alberto Fernandes Basto drew plans for a three-storey building with a clock tower in the middle and decorative watchtowers on each corner. The exterior would be made from red brick and the entire project would cost 60,000 patacas.
Construction began in 1935 and, a year later, the Almirante Lacerda Municipal Market opened. Better known as the Red Market – so named for its vivid colour – it sits today at the corner of Avenida Horta e Costa, wedged between apartment buildings, cafés and restaurants, a short walk from Mong Ha Fort and the Macao University of Tourism. When it was built, however, it bordered the sea – the perfect offloading point for locally caught seafood and other shipments.
The building was also a beautiful example of the Art Deco movement so popular in Europe and the US in the 1920s and 1930s. Measuring 44 metres in height and 20 metres in width, the Red Market featured a clean, geometric look and a bold colour, both hallmarks of the style.
It soon became a landmark for the local community. For more than 80 years, the Red Market has served steady streams of shoppers each day. Newer markets were soon built – the Mercado da Horta da Mitra and Mercado Municipal de Coloane both opened for business in their present forms in the 1940s – but the Red Market held a special place in the affections of Macao residents. With the Red Market’s impact so clear, it was classified as a Building of Architectural Interest in 1992.
A meticulous renovation
In recent years, it became clear that the Red Market needed more than superficial refurbishments.
Operating daily for so many decades, the market had understandably suffered wear and tear. The space became cramped as the number of visitors grew. Structurally, several elements needed to be upgraded to keep the building in good standing.
In early 2022, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced that it would close the market so that it could address such issues before they became bigger problems.
The IAM moved the market’s 127 stallholders temporarily to the Provisional Patane Market building – which had not been in use for years after the nearby Patane Market Municipal Complex came into service – and embarked on a two-year renovation project to introduce modern amenities that would keep the Red Market functional and relevant. But the process had to be meticulous in order to retain the market’s historical essence.
The renovations left no stone unturned. The IAM team added waterproof sockets and lighting to stalls. They upgraded the power supply, installed air conditioning and put up reinforced glass baffles in front of the fish stalls to prevent water from splashing into the walkways.
The floors were filled in with epoxy-based grouting to prevent leakage and extend their lifespan. Some of the structural columns were enhanced while barrier-free lifts and unloading platforms were built to improve carrying capacity. A new drainage system was installed.
The renovations did more than improve the building’s structural integrity. They overhauled the entire shopping experience. The Red Market is now not only a place to buy fresh produce. It also offers a living connection to Macao’s social heritage, in a space that both serves the public and attracts tourists.
Getting back to business
When the Red Market reopened at the end of May this year, the nearly 130 vendors selling seafood, fruits, vegetables and other fresh produce returned to their stalls, bringing with them a familiar hustle and bustle.
There was one new touch hovering above them all. The newly renovated Red Market tower featured a clock for the first time. Leong Wai Man, the head of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, explained that a clock was always part of Basto’s plan. It simply had not been installed in the 1930s.
“We looked at some historical documents and there was, in fact, a plan [for a clock]. Of course, it was never realised … so, we approved of the Municipal Affairs Bureau’s suggestion to install a clock,” said Leong during a press conference in March.
But of course, the essence of the Red Market – the hubbub of shoppers and traders going about their daily business – is timeless. The new upgrades should allow the market to serve generations to come. Above all, it will stand as a bridge between past and present, living proof of Macao’s ability to balance tradition with progress.
