Quinta Market was built by the Spanish colonial government in 1851, the same year as the Divisoria Market in Tondo.
Built with money bequeathed to the city government of Manila by businessman and philanthropist Francisco Carriedo in the 18th century, its establishment coincided with the growth of industry and trade in the city and the establishment of new public markets to complement existing venues for trade both in the city center and its suburbs.
At the time, Quiapo was an attractive location for riverside villas along the Pasig River, and this was immortalized in the market's name, which translates to "country villa" in Spanish.

Also believed to be named after its surrounding countryside, the market originally sold vegetables grown in the farms around Quiapo.
The next year, the market was connected to Arroceros in Ermita, where Manila's rice market was located, with the construction of the Puente Colgante, later replaced by the modern-day Quezon Bridge.
At the time of its construction, Quinta Market was the most spacious public market in Manila, catering to the wealthy families living in Quiapo at the time, and thanks to its large port area it was also called the city's best market.

The original market however was shoddily built, and it was heavily damaged by earthquake in 1863, although commercial activity continued despite the destruction.
The market was rebuilt in 1878 according to plans by Félix Rojas, the Philippines' first architect.
Rojas also prepared plans for the reconstruction of several other structures destroyed in the earthquake, including the Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros.
Subsequent plans for the market were drawn up on January 18, 1889 by a successor of Rojas, Juan José de las Hervás.

On December 8, 1900, at the onset of the American colonization of the Philippines, new plans for the market were drawn up by Lieutenant Lytle Brown of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, who at the time was detailed as the city engineer of Manila.
He oversaw the construction of a new, steel market building, constructed at a cost of $67,821.29 (around $2.03 million in 2017 dollars), and Quinta Market reopened to the public on October 21, 1901.
During this time, the market was a popular wholesale market which was especially busy on Fridays, serving residents of all social classes, and certain items like beef were more available here than at other markets in the city.
The market's importance was evident in the revenues it was generating for the city government: in 1908, the Quinta and Divisoria markets generated a combined 80 percent of the city's market fee collections.

Although Quinta Market was known for the wide variety of foodstuffs and other items sold under its roof and in the surrounding area, over the years it had been steadily overshadowed by the opening of new department stores and other retail concepts opening in Makati and Quezon City, as well as by the growing congestion in Quiapo caused by overdevelopment.
By the 2000s, not only did it become just a regular retail market, it had also earned a reputation for being damp and filthy, surrounded by stagnant dirty water and ambulant fish vendors selling their wares on the street, to the inconvenience of marketgoers.
In 2008, the market was renovated and the area cleaned up in anticipation of a last-minute visit by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Despite improvements to the structure over the years, the market itself was still generally considered to be dilapidated, which prompted the city government of Manila to build an entirely new market.
Quinta Market was built by the Spanish colonial government in 1851, the same year as the Divisoria Market in Tondo. Built with money bequeathed to the city government of Manila by businessman and philanthropist Francisco Carriedo in the 18th century, its establishment coincided with the growth of industry and trade in the city and the establishment of new public markets to complement existing venues for trade both in the city center and its suburbs. At the time, Quiapo was an attractive location for riverside villas along the Pasig River, and this was immortalized in the market's name, which translates to "country villa" in Spanish.
Also believed to be named after its surrounding countryside, the market originally sold vegetables grown in the farms around Quiapo. The next year, the market was connected to Arroceros in Ermita, where Manila's rice market was located, with the construction of the Puente Colgante, later replaced by the modern-day Quezon Bridge. At the time of its construction, Quinta Market was the most spacious public market in Manila, catering to the wealthy families living in Quiapo at the time, and thanks to its large port area it was also called the city's best market.
The original market however was shoddily built, and it was heavily damaged by earthquake in 1863, although commercial activity continued despite the destruction. The market was rebuilt in 1878 according to plans by Félix Rojas, the Philippines' first architect. Rojas also prepared plans for the reconstruction of several other structures destroyed in the earthquake, including the Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros. Subsequent plans for the market were drawn up on January 18, 1889 by a successor of Rojas, Juan José de las Hervás.
On December 8, 1900, at the onset of the American colonization of the Philippines, new plans for the market were drawn up by Lieutenant Lytle Brown of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, who at the time was detailed as the city engineer of Manila. He oversaw the construction of a new, steel market building, constructed at a cost of $67,821.29 (around $2.03 million in 2017 dollars), and Quinta Market reopened to the public on October 21, 1901. During this time, the market was a popular wholesale market which was especially busy on Fridays, serving residents of all social classes, and certain items like beef were more available here than at other markets in the city. The market's importance was evident in the revenues it was generating for the city government: in 1908, the Quinta and Divisoria markets generated a combined 80 percent of the city's market fee collections.
Although Quinta Market was known for the wide variety of foodstuffs and other items sold under its roof and in the surrounding area, over the years it had been steadily overshadowed by the opening of new department stores and other retail concepts opening in Makati and Quezon City, as well as by the growing congestion in Quiapo caused by overdevelopment. By the 2000s, not only did it become just a regular retail market, it had also earned a reputation for being damp and filthy, surrounded by stagnant dirty water and ambulant fish vendors selling their wares on the street, to the inconvenience of marketgoers. In 2008, the market was renovated and the area cleaned up in anticipation of a last-minute visit by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Despite improvements to the structure over the years, the market itself was still generally considered to be dilapidated, which prompted the city government of Manila to build an entirely new market.
Quinta Market