Raleigh's City Market reflects urban resilience, with its deep civic history and enduring architecture. Architect James Matthew Kennedy designed a modern, "fireproof and sanitary" facility on East Martin Street that officially opened on October 1, 1914. Kennedy engineered a Spanish Mission-style building, built with solid brick walls, a grand red clay tile roof, and beautiful exposed interior wood trusses. The open-air walls were lined with pristine, white-glazed ceramic tiles, and the floors were poured with smooth concrete, allowing 1914 merchants to hose down the entire open cavity at the end of every business day.
City Market is part of Raleigh's cultural history. During the Jim Crow segregation in the 1920s and 1930s, City Market functioned as a stark social and physical boundary line in downtown as African Americans were legally barred from operating or shopping within the primary white business sectors. So they set up shop at East Hargett Street and established "Black Main Street"--a sanctuary of Black-owned medical offices, hotels, pharmacies, and the historic Farmers and Mechanics Bank. Despite the era's rigid segregation, these two districts created a unique commercial crossroads. Black patrons could shop for essential groceries inside City Market under strict racial etiquette, while white buyers routinely crossed over to East Hargett Street to purchase raw agricultural goods or hire premium Black tailors and craftsmen. The market stalls remained one of Raleigh's few truly integrated public spaces, where Black entrepreneurs, farmers, and patrons could do business side by side with the rest of the community.
The pavement has a legacy too, the 19th-century ballast cobblestones running through the heart of City Market on Blake Street and Wolfe Street, they were originally brought over from Europe in the 19th century as ballast stones in the hulls of sailing ships, dumped at North Carolina ports. They were later transported inland to pave Raleigh's streets.
City Market is now an arts hub, home to Artspace and the City Market Art Collective. Independent boutiques include the woman-owned Blackbird Books & Coffee. Social Status sells upscale footwear and apparel. Unleashed sells pet supplies. Reign Luxury Salon handles your beauty needs.
For dining, get a country breakfast at Big Ed's; City Market Sushi has fresh rolls; Woody's is a sports bar; and Vic's Italian Market has pasta and pizza. Kokoro Ramen & Izakaya offers Japanese dishes.
City Market is an absolute must-visit destination that beautifully bridges Raleigh's physical heritage with a thriving, active community life! read more