ByWard Market District

The ByWard Market is defined by the central, low-slung red brick building that sits squarely in the middle of the square. Lieutenant Colonel John By ordered the construction of this market house in eighteen twenty-seven to feed the laborers building the Rideau Canal. Local farmers brought their produce here by horse and wagon, parking directly on the dirt lot outside. One night, a local merchant named Alexander Christie famously left his entire supply of butter unguarded, and not a single pound disappeared.