Niagara Square was laid out in 1804 by Joseph Ellicott, a representative of the Holland Land Company and the first developer of Buffalo. His design was influenced by Pierre L'Enfant, the engineer that planned Washington, D.C. The radial street plan was conceived with the municipal center at the square and four streets (Delaware, Niagara, Genesee, and Court) diverging in a spoke-like pattern from the square. Niagara Square, originally known as "The Public Square," was the center of the social and civic life of Buffalo's early years.

The McKinley Monument is also situated within the Square. Built at a cost of $100,000, it was erected in 1906 as a tribute to President William McKinley, who was shot and killed at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901. The marble lions at the base weigh 15 tons each. The carvings were made by A. Phinister Proctor and Neuman Evans, both of New York City. The Square was enlarged to accommodate the monument.

Continue around the Square, North to the Statler Building.