Is there/has there ever been a "Central Market" in

A lot of cities have very robust central markets where you can get everything from fruits to veggies to fresh fish to meats to spices to pasta to etc....

I am guessing at some point there has been some sort of major market in Chicago, but I was trying to think if there is anything like this today. Is there?

I know there are endless farmer's markets and meat markets and a couple of really good fish markets, but anywhere where they all come together?

Now I am newer to the city, so forgive me if I am missing some blaringly obvious place.

No, in fact there isn't, and from what I understand there never really has been... not a permanent structure of any kind, anyway. I know there have been a few proposals to develop one. I believe the Trib ran a feature about it this past summer. But while there's apparently a great deal of interest, nothing is moving.

Man, what a bummer. Although, at this point I am guessing the pricing of items there would rival a Whole Foods to pay for any sort of structure.

It sure would be nice.

There are so many great true meat markets in the city, it couldn't be that tough to get them to setup shop within a central market. No problem on the produce end of things. Fish might not be as extravagant as some coastal areas, but we could get a good share nonetheless.

You have this(these) to look forward to:

http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org/

they all pretty much start in mid-May...early-June

This is probably not exactly what you were asking about, but there used to a huge market on South Water Street. It's been converted into somewhat architecturally-interesting condos now, but the old warehouses are still there. The Wife and I used to do shopping for the Hyde Park Distribution Center in the 70s, buying crates of apples, veg, whole beef livers, stuff like that that just came off (and sometimes maybe fell off) a truck. It was supposed to be for retailers only, but, you know, if you had money, no one seemed to care much.

David Hammond wrote:This is probably not exactly what you were asking about, but there used to a huge market on South Water Street. It's been converted into somewhat architecturally-interesting condos now, but the old warehouses are still there. The Wife and I used to do shopping for the Hyde Park Distribution Center in the 70s, buying crates of apples, veg, whole beef livers, stuff like that that just came off (and sometimes maybe fell off) a truck. It was supposed to be for retailers only, but, you know, if you had money, no one seemed to care much.

I think the current incarnation of the market Hammond cites is the Chicago International Produce Market, to which I've never been. The CIPM site also has historical information South Water Market. about the and the Water Street Market

Germuska,
Where is CIPM? I couldn't find any address at the website.

Cogito wrote:Germuska,
Where is CIPM? I couldn't find any address at the website.

Sorry, I linked to the "second" page. The address is on the information-light intro page.

I've never actually been.

Chicago International Produce Market
2404 S. Wolcott
Chicago Il. 60608

That page says 'wholesale.' They do sell retail, right?

Cogito wrote:That page says 'wholesale.' They do sell retail, right?

I don't think so. Sorry if I misled. I was just following up to Hammond's up-thread mention of the South Water Market, which was also whole-sale oriented.

I wish Chicago had a permanent retail market. In googling around, I wasn't able to find any info on the proposals Dmnkly mentioned (although I too recall hearing a little about it) but I did find a couple of cool links, like Dom's own review of the Westside Market in my hometown of Cleveland, and this "global guide to open air markets"