4 November 1848
The Byward Market is one of the premier destinations in the nation’s capital for both residents and tourists alike. As soon as winter releases Ottawa from its icy grip, its outdoor farmers’ market begins selling such delectable treats as l’ail de bois and maple syrup. Flower vendors and handcraft sellers abound. But the market comes into its own with the arrival of summer and early fall. Locally sourced fresh vegetables and sumptuous strawberries, raspberries and wild blueberries tempt the most jaded palate. Ottawa residents of a certain age might also recall the days when shoppers could also buy live chickens, ducks and rabbits at the market. However, such sales fell foul of modern hygiene and animal welfare laws, and ended decades ago. Surrounding the market stalls are specialist food stores and sometimes quirky shops. Some, such as Lapointe’s Fish Market, have been market stalwarts for generations. In the surrounding streets, there are bars and restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets. The shabby chic neighbourhood has a somewhat edgy vibe. Wealthy residents of new upscale condos and townhomes rub shoulders with patrons of nearby shelters run by the Shepherds of Good Hope and the Salvation Army.
The Byward Market dates back to the earliest days of Ottawa (then called Bytown) in the late 1820s when Colonel By used rents from properties leased in Lower Town to finance the construction of a wooden market building on George Street. The builder was James Fitzgibbon, a master carpenter. Apparently, the building had several verandas and was used for both market purposes and as a public hall. This building was dismantled in the early 1840s but the site continued to be used as a market.
In 1848, the newly incorporated Town of Bytown erected a new market building on George Street. It was originally known as the Lower Town Market and was located in the town’s North Ward. The market later became known as the “By-Ward Market” when the name of the North Ward was changed to the “By Ward,” following a political redistricting in 1855. Currently, the Byward Market is located in the Rideau-Vanier Ward.
This two-storey wooden market building opened for business on Saturday, 4 November 1848. On that day, a flag was run up a 90-foot pole over the roof of the new building. Starting early in the morning to early afternoon, the College Band played a number of patriotic and familiar tunes to greet first-time shoppers. These included Rule Britannia, God Save the Queen, Patrick’s Day, Gerrytown and À la Claire Fontaine.
The official opening was conducted by Joseph-Balsora Turgeon, then one of two councillors for North Ward. In 1853, he became the first francophone mayor of Bytown. Speaking in both English and French, Turgeon expressed a satisfaction, which was shared by the assembled crowd, that the Lower Town Market would become “THE MARKET” in the community.
This was a not-so-veiled reference to the West Ward, or Upper Town, market which had also been recently built. However, that market had not yet opened owing to its unfortunate position close to the western side of the Rideau Canal, roughly where the National Arts Centre is today. It was too close to the Lower Town market, which would attract the custom of Lower Town residents, but inconveniently far away for most Upper Town residents who lived mostly to the west of today’s Parliament Hill. Shortly afterwards, the Upper Town market building was repurposed, with its lower floor converted into a fire hall. Its upper floor became the home of Bytown’s municipal offices.
Other speakers at the gala opening included John Scott, the member of the provincial parliament for Bytown, and Mr. Friel, the other councillor for North Ward who became the last major of Bytown before it was rebranded as Ottawa. Friel regretted that the workmanship of the Lower Town market building wasn’t as good as that of the Upper Town market building. However, he opined that Lower Town market’s layout was better than its cross-town rival and that its upper floor was lit by large windows and had a sturdy floor. Friel proposed three cheers for those who built the market building, singling out Councillor Charles Sparrow for special mention in making the market possible.
At least part of the ground floor of the new market building was divided into butchers’ stalls. The upper floor was later occupied by l’Institut canadien français d’Ottawa (French Canadian Institute of Ottawa) which was established in 1852. The institute, which is still in existence and is still located in the Byward Market neighbourhood, is a French-language cultural organization. In the 1840s, it, along with its English counterpart, the Bytown Mechanics’ Institute, organized lectures and operated circulating libraries for their members. (These were the days long before a free public library was established in Ottawa.) The large windows in the upper story of the market building created the ideal conditions for a reading room.
Less than a year after its official opening, the new Lower Town market became the centre of a civil insurrection, later called the Stony Monday riot between Tories and Reformers over a proposed visit to Bytown of Lord Elgin, the governor general, who was scouting out potential sites for the capital of Canada. Joseph-Balsora Turgeon and Charles Sparrow, who were both reformers, had arranged an outdoor meeting at the south end of the market square facing York Street to organize the Lord Elgin’s reception. Tories, irate at Elgin for signing into law a bill that compensated opponents to the Crown in the 1837-38 Lower Canada Rebellion as well as loyalists, shouted down the Reformist speakers. In the ensuing brawl between Reformers and Tories, many stones were thrown, hence the name of the riot. Some of the men used the firearms they had brought to the Market Square. More than with fifty shots were fired. One man died in the affray with at least twenty injured before the crowd disbursed, many fleeing to a nearby hotel. A few days later, armed Tories and Reformers again almost came to blows at Sappers’ Bridge. This time, some had brought canons. The timely intervention of British troops stationed at Barrick’s Hill who interposed themselves between the two, armed groups headed off what could have been a bloody confrontation.
In late January 1862, fire destroyed the Byward market. While the firemen responded “with their usual alacrity,” according to the Ottawa Citizen, there was little that they could do owing to insufficient water. The cause of the fire was unknown. The ground floor butchers’ stalls were destroyed as was most of the butchers’ stock of meat. Upstairs, the library of the French Canadian Institute, valued at $2,000, was saved though the Citizen reported that presents received from France’s Emperor Napoleon III, along with the portraits of the French Emperor and his Empress, were somewhat damaged. The dancing academy, which also shared space with the Institute on the upper floor, was destroyed.
The wooden market building, which was owned by the Corporation of Bytown, was fortunately insured for $1,400 with the Montreal Insurance Corporation, and was subsequently rebuilt in a slightly different location and orientation. Ground was broken for the new building on 9 January 1864, Henry J. Friel officiating. Friel’s term as Mayor of Ottawa had just expired.
Sadly, this was by far not the last blaze to affect the market and the surrounding district, something that is not surprising during an age when most buildings were made of wood. Fires destroyed many buildings in the market neighbourhood in 1874 and again in 1957. The market building itself burnt down in 1926 and was replaced by the current structure in 1928.
In 1991, the City of Ottawa created the Byward Market Heritage Conservation District, comprised of fifteen city blocks and 160 buildings.
Sources:
Heritage Ottawa, 2022. Byward Market Heritage Conservation District.
Packet and Weekly Commercial Gazette, 1848. “The Markets,” 11 November.
Ottawa Citizen, 1862. “Destruction of the Lower Town Market,” 25 January.
——————, 1923. “Old Time Stuff,” 8 September.
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