These pictures chart some of those transformations, starting with the building of the central post office in the early 20th century, which itself now has a new lease of life, thanks to Sheffield Hallam University. Another early arrival was the Electra Picture Palace, which underwent several changes until it was finally destroyed by fire in the mid-1980s.
A statue of King Edward VII has watched over many of those changes, including a terrible tragedy that took place in December 1940, when the seven-storey Marples Hotel was flattened. The Nazi bomb killed dozens of people sheltering from the bombing in its cellars, that were widely believed to be a safe place.
It was the single greatest loss of life during the war in Sheffield.
As the city centre developed, the once-busy area became increasingly dingy and unwelcoming. Finally, the square was designated as part of a Knowledge Gateway, running down to the Cultural Industries Quarter around Brown Street, and has been completely revamped.
5. Cinema changes
The News Theatre in Fitzalan Square in the 1950s - it opened in 1911 as the Electra Palace, became the News Theatre, showing newsreels, in 1945 and then the Cartoon Cinema in 1959-62, before becoming the Classic with a modernised frontage Photo: Sheffield Newspapers
6. Cinema fire
A fire at the former Classic Cinema, Fitzalan Square in February 1984 - it had already closed in 1982 Photo: Sheffield Newspapers
7. First-class change
Luckily, Sheffield Hallam University took it over in 2016 and converted the building to become Sheffield Institute of Arts Photo: Alex Moore
8. Fitzalan Square now
This was the newly-renovated Fitzalan Square last year - the shop with the green sign is where the Marples used to be and C&A is now an easyHotel Photo: Brian Eyre