The square is named in honour of Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, a French Canadian widow who founded the religious order known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal.

Part of the square is transformed into a skating rink during winter months, and to its west is the sculpture "The Muses" by Alfred Laliberté, donated by the Government of Quebec for the 375th anniversary of the city in 1983.

[3] In 1987, the City of Quebec completed renovations in the region which included several upgrades that were performed to give a modern character to the square.

Quebec media turned their attention towards Place D’Youville in 1988 when it reported a "nocturnal fauna" and the presence of youth gangs forming around the fortifications and on rue Saint-Jean.

Residents and merchants responded to the redevelopment plan by accusing the municipal government of having created an area conducive to juvenile delinquency.

[5] Both the then-Mayor Jean-Paul L'Allier and the SPVQ chief cited the combination of alcohol use, drugs and the influx of people from outside the region for the events.

The track had been the longest of the four ice-cross downhill championship events that year, with the others having been held in Helsinki, Finland, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Moscow, Russia.