Opened in 1876, El Born market was, in fact, the first large-scale cast-iron building to be erected in Barcelona. For centuries, an open-air public market was held in the neighbouring Plaça del Born. As part of the global renovation project for Barcelona’s market network that started in 1868, a new building that would house the stalls was designed in 1871 by Josep Fontserè, while the engineer Josep M. Cornet was responsible for the structure. The construction works, entrusted to the Maquinista Terrestre i Marítima began in 1874.

Initially serving as the local market for the neighbourhood of La Ribera, in 1921 it became Barcelona’s main wholesale market for fruits and vegetables. As in other large European cities, the growth in population and trade made it necessary to regulate and control the wholesale activity, which was hitherto spread between several markets and caused severe congestion in the Boqueria market. After ruling out the construction of a new building, El Born became the city’s new wholesale fruit and vegetable market.

However, in August 1971, as the first six pavilions of the Les Halles market in Paris were being pulled down, the Barcelona fruits and vegetables wholesale market was moved to a new location and El Born market was closed. In spite of spite of its iconic character as one of Barcelona’s earliest and finest examples of cast-iron and glass architecture, a development plan for the old town proposing the market’s demolition was put forward. Only the strong opposition from the emerging local residents’ associations saved the building from being teared down. Nevertheless, the old market would be left without any specific permanent use for over 40 years.

In 2002, a remarkable archaeological site was found in the market’s subsoil, revealing traces of the demarcations of streets and houses from the 18th century. They provide considerable insight into life in Barcelona before the siege of 1714, as well as into the consequences of the fall of the city.