HISTORY
History of the ByWard Market
Lieutenant Colonel John By arrived in Canada from England in 1827 to build the Rideau Canal. In the same year, Colonel By founded Bytown, which had two villages. Upper Town lay on the west side of the Rideau Canal.
The other, Lower Town, was founded east of the canal and was bordered by the Rideau River and Sussex, Clarence, and Rideau Street.
Colonel By decided to build a market building on George Street in Lower Town. This large timber structure held a weighing machine, a market space, and a public meeting hall. It was the first ByWard Market.
The market building was dismantled in 1842, but community demands convinced the city to build a new one. The second market officially opened on November 6, 1848.
Unfortunately, in 1862, the second market building was destroyed by a fire. The city council understood how important the market was and made plans to build the third Byward Market building in the same lot. It reopened in 1865.
Bytown was renamed Ottawa in 1855. The city was growing rapidly, and the ByWard Market followed suit. Four lots were bought for more market space. A bell was purchased to mark the opening of business. It still hangs in the ByWard Market building today and is rung every morning by locals and visitors.
The market struggled with overcrowding, so in 1871, it was proposed that the market should expand into a new building. The new lot was between George and York. The fourth ByWard Market building, designed by James Mather, opened in April 1876.
In the early 1900s, vendors had to follow certain odd rules. For example, in 1908, the Market Inspector sent out a notice stating that “Spitting on the pavements… is a misdemeanour and punishable by fine or imprisonment”.
In 1926, a second fire destroyed the market building. Its replacement, which is nearly 100 years old, still exists today. Vendors, buskers, and store owners continue to use the market to make a living and share their work.
Today
The ByWard Market is Ottawa’s number one tourist attraction and is the premier destination for shopping, dining, arts, entertainment, and professional services for residents and visitors.
The ByWard Market area averages 50,000 visitors per weekend in the summer months and is home to both a local public market and over 600 independent businesses.
ByWard Market Public Realm Plan Recommendations Report
Visual Time Capsule of the District
