This article is part of the book KIJK!, which covers 25 years of repurposing by BOEi.

Since its opening in 1934, the Food Center has always been a wholesale market. Here, restaurateurs, greengrocers, and operators of company canteens, for example, would do their shopping. The general public was not allowed. That is partially going to change: in ten years, a few thousand people will be living in a new neighborhood here, and there will be a variety of cultural, circular, and culinary activities. And the wholesale food market will continue to operate as well.

Domain of professionals

As a restaurant, you can certainly have your meat delivered and order from the wholesaler,” says Erik Fischer. “But if you have a top restaurant and you order 20 filet mignons, you might still want to see how they are cut.” The market hall is the domain of professionals, emphasizes Fischer, who traded in food products there for years and is the chairman of the business association. “Here, as a buyer, you are the first to see all sorts of new products.” While an ordinary person buys a single lettuce, vegetables here are sold in crates. Fischer adds, “The customers of the Food Center largely serve the 6,000 restaurants and 1,500 fruit and vegetable shops in the city.”

Floor Wibaut

De Centrale Markthal opened here in 1934, initiated by Amsterdam’s socialist alderman Floor Wibaut. This new market replaced the open-air market that had taken place in the middle of a busy residential area on Marnixstraat. The location was then on the outskirts of the city, and the trade in food could be carried out in a more hygienic and controlled manner, which was the underlying idea. Wibaut, known as a politician from a prosperous entrepreneurial family, aimed to make the city “more livable and social.” A 28-hectare site was developed on Jan van Galenstraat, complete with docking areas for barges used by market gardeners, warehouses, a cold storage facility, an auction hall, and a covered Centrale Markthal with offices and storage space for wholesalers. “Every major city had such a market,” says Fischer.

At the end of the previous century, there was a debate about whether this location, now in the middle of the city again, was suitable for such large-scale activities. The Centrale Markthal itself no longer met the current food safety standards, and the wholesalers moved to other buildings on the premises. The docking areas had already been filled in. However, the market itself ultimately did not have to relocate to an industrial estate outside the city, as was briefly considered. Erik Fischer says, “Research showed that the market plays a crucial role in the city’s food supply. We are pleased that we can stay here.” However, Fischer points out that the space required by the wholesalers needs an update. By organizing activities more efficiently, additional square meters can be freed up on the premises. The city of Amsterdam is always looking for additional square meters, primarily for housing. And 1 plus 1 equals 2. New plans were developed for the area. In ten years, there will be a renewed Food Center, approximately 1,700 housing units will be built, and the restored and sustainable Centrale Markthal from 1934 will be a vibrant hub of activity. Fischer has been talking and pushing for this for over 20 years.

Market Quarter

The consortium Marktkwartier CV (VolkerWessels Vastgoed and Ballast Nedam Development) is now redeveloping the site, after winning the tender launched in 2010 in partnership with BOEi. The wholesalers will have new sustainable buildings, a school will be built, and there will be a “green market meadow,” as well as approximately 1,700 homes and apartments. Mona Rademaker, representing Marktkwartier, says, “The site will be arranged more efficiently, creating free space. For example, in the future, employees will park on the roof instead of at ground level.” Logistics on the site will be managed more safely and efficiently to avoid trucks from customers and suppliers obstructing each other, and waste collection will be organized collectively. The site will also have two bicycle bridges, making it no longer an enclave or a “no-go area.”

Hub in the Neighborhood

The Centrale Markthal (a national monument) has always been the bustling centerpiece of the site and will also become the hub of the new neighborhood, according to Rademaker. The consortium approached BOEi at an early stage, asking them to take on the restoration, repurposing, and operation of the immense building. It was not within the scope of Marktkwartier. BOEi became the owner in 2016, and the restoration began in early 2021. The roof will feature 2,500 square meters of solar panels, making it the city’s largest energy-generating roof. The Central Market Hall is intended to become a place where “culinary, creative, and circular Amsterdam” come together. There are plans for restaurants, music, theater, film, and events. “It will be a beautiful diverse mix,” expects Jeroen Ketting, development manager at BOEi. The building itself (built in the style of functional expressionism) has grandeur, according to BOEi. “Form, function, and beauty come together. The efficient layout combines with magnificent proportions in symmetry, uniformity, rhythm, and repetition. Modern materials for the time, such as precast concrete and steel, are combined with traditional masonry and craftsmanship.”

Keith Haring

The site already boasts a remarkable artwork in the public space. In 1986, American pop art artist Keith Haring created a mural (12 by 15 meters) on a former cold storage building during his visit to the city. Two years later, the mural disappeared behind steel sheet piles, which were meant to protect the building from moisture. The artwork has now been restored. It is an extraordinary addition to what promises to be a new and exciting part of Amsterdam, and it presents a new challenge for BOEi.

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