York Steps

The York Steps are a broad concrete staircase connecting the upper street level of York Street to the lower plaza of the ByWard Market. They were built in nineteen seventy-eight as part of a massive urban renewal project meant to revive the market district. Before these stairs appeared, the slope was a steep, jagged embankment. Architects saw the potential for a public gathering spot where people could sit, eat lunch, or watch the crowds pass through the market stalls below.