The lower reaches are only moderately steep, and the surface is asphalt, but the upper reaches are steeper and surfaced in concrete (200 m or 660 ft long) for ease of maintenance (bitumen—in either chip seal or asphalt—would flow down the slope on a warm day) and for safety in Dunedin's frosty winters.

As with many other parts of early Dunedin, and indeed New Zealand at large, streets were laid out in a grid pattern with no consideration for the terrain, usually by planners in London.

The street is named after William Baldwin, an Otago Provincial Councillor and newspaper founder, who subdivided the area.

Every summer since 1988,[2][13] this exercise in fitness and balance involves athletes running from the base of the street to the top and back down again.

[14] Since 2002, a further charity event has been held annually in July, which involves the rolling of over 30,000 Jaffas (spherical confectionery-coated chocolate confectionery).

[2] On 2 January 2010, Cardrona stuntman Ian Soanes rode down Baldwin Street on a motorcycle on one wheel.

[15][16] In April 2015, under controlled conditions, a trio of drift trike riders—Harley Jolly, 23; Tyson Barr, 18; and Nic Roy, 18—made headlines when they descended the street with speeds estimated to be up to 100 km/h (62 mph) to promote the sport.

[20] On 26 January 2018, 11-year-old Harry Willis raised over NZD$11,000 for the Ronald McDonald House in Christchurch by ascending the street on a pogo stick.

[22][23] In August 2022, under controlled conditions, Australian downhill skater Zak Mills-Goodwin became the first person captured on video to hill bomb the street on a skateboard (i.e. not doing slides, which reduce speed).

[24][25] After many years of ideation and attempts,[26][27] an attempt at cycling up the street was made by American YouTuber and cyclist Mitch Boyer circa April 2023 after hearing about a New Zealand TV news report (which aired on the programme Seven Sharp) on his filmed ascent on the then-current street steepness world record holder of Ffordd Pen Llech.