Wed Dec 17 00:30:00 UTC 2025: News Article:
Chennai’s Moore Market: A Nostalgic Memory Tarnished by Chaos
Chennai, December 17, 2025 – Forty years after a devastating fire consumed it, Chennai’s Moore Market remains an “evergreen memory,” but a closer look reveals a complex legacy. The market, planned as the city’s central market after Popham’s was deemed unsanitary, was opened in November 1900 after being in development since 1898. It was named for Lt. Col. Sir George Moore, then-President of the Madras Corporation.
While initially intended as a general market with sections for various goods, Moore Market quickly became known for second-hand, spurious, and even stolen merchandise. Reports of chaos, aggressive vendors, and widespread malpractices were common. Writer Sa. Viswananathan described the market’s unruly state in a 1962 article. Kothamangalam Subbu’s Thillana Mohanambal also included the problems that occurred. The novel showed visitors from the countryside often being cheated. In Kavignar Kannadasan’s eyes, Moore Market symbolized all that was bad with the city.
Administrative negligence, lawlessness, and public apathy ultimately led to the market’s demise. The devastating fire on May 30, 1985, proved “convenient,” paving the way for railway expansion and the relocation of vendors to the inadequate Lily Pond Complex. Only booklovers and gramophone record collectors mourned its passing, and the building could have been repurposed.
The loss of Moore Market, however, led to increased awareness and care for heritage buildings in Chennai, preventing similar demolitions in the future.
First Piper 