ABOUT
History of the Parkdale Market
On the morning of July 10, 1924, a new market opened in the City of Ottawa, at the north-west corner of Wellington Street and Parkdale Avenue. Its opening day was bittersweet: while 200 people turned out for the opening ceremonies, not one vendor attended to supply them. Farmers and growers on their way to the By Ward Market had passed by and noticed the crowd. Despite the poor first day showing, the West End Market re-opened the following Saturday with a dozen vendors doing brisk business. Steak sold at 20 cents a pound, dressed chickens at $1.25 each and peas at 35 cents a gallon.
The site of the Parkdale Market was occupied by a wood planing mill until 1916 and remained vacant until the Market was established in 1924. Prior to its annexation by the City of Ottawa in 1907, this part of the city was part of the independent village of Hintonburg -- a name that is used to refer to the neighbourhood surrounding the market right to the present day.
The early Market consisted of a wooden platform along Parkdale Avenue and Armstrong Street where the vendors set-up their stalls. A wooden structure housed the Market Inspector and weigh-scales. The City of Ottawa bought the land in 1947 having leased it until that time.
The western portion of the Market site had been used by residents for recreational purposes long before it became an official park. Requests to the City for permission to use the grounds date back to 1928. Use of the park was organized informally. A backstop was erected, and the grounds were used for softball, football and a variety of other activities. In the mid-1950s there was much debate about the use of the entire site. Proposals included moving the Market, establishing a park, and turning the entire site into a parking lot. In 1958, the City approved a plan that would include both the Market and Park. Parkdale Park was officially opened in 1965.
