Built circa 1996, when many of the current stairways on the eastern slope of Bernal Heights were built. There previously had been a short wooden stairway at Holladay Avenue, then a winding path up the block.

This corner of Bernal Heights was mostly undeveloped until quite recently. Only four of the homes on Joy Street were built before the late 1980s, and there was only a single house on Brewster Street south of Joy until the 2000s. The south side of Joy was completely undeveloped until new homes were built along Brewster in 2016, and then the homes along the remainder of the south side of Joy Street only began construction in 2020.

The Max Kirkeberg photo collection has many photos of the area spanning from the 1970s to the 2000s in the Bernal Heights - Northeast collection.
Some views of Joy Street from the collection:
Stairs at Holladay Avenue in 1985, with a home under construction - Max Kirkeberg photo, from the Max Kirkeberg Collection.
Path along Joy Street, 1978 - Max Kirkeberg photo, from the Max Kirkeberg Collection.