Moore Market in Chennai was set to celebrate 125 years in November 2025. However, it was destroyed by a massive fire 40 years ago in 1985 and only lives on in memory. Built between 1898 and 1900 at a cost of £26,000, it was designed as a large indoor market with 291 stalls. It was meant to replace the old Popham’s Market, offering fresh vegetables, meat, fish, and general goods. But the market soon became known for second-hand, fake, and stolen items. Reports and articles from the 1960s describe the place as chaotic and lawless. Shoppers were often forced into buys by aggressive vendors. The market gained a bad reputation for selling poor quality goods. Even in popular culture, such as the 1962 film Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi, it symbolized the worst parts of city life. Poet Kannadasan’s song criticized the market, sparking protests. A mix of poor administration and public indifference allowed the market to decline. When the railways needed land for expansion, the fire provided a convenient reason to close Moore Market. Vendors were relocated to a subpar complex named Lily Pond, built on a filled-in lake. Photos show the beautiful Indo-Saracenic style building could have been saved and reused. Instead, only disaster brought an end to the market. Despite the loss, it taught Chennai to protect its heritage buildings more carefully. Moore Market stays as an evergreen memory of both grandeur and downfall in city history.