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.
9. Wartime tragedy
All that was left of the Marples Hotel in Fitzalan Square after it received a direct hit on the night of the Blitz on December 12, 1940. Almost 70 people died and only a handful of those sheltering in the cellars survived. The original writer of this caption noted that the C & A Modes store in the background "is little more than a shell, bearing further testament to the ferocity of the raid" Photo: Sheffield Newspapers Ltd
10. Millennium view
Fitzalan Square in 1999, taken from about the same spot as the earlier view, with a police box in the middle of the view Photo: Roger Nadal
11. Postal service
An early view of the imposing central post office in Fitzalan Square, which officially opened in 1910. The building was at risk for many years after its closure in 1999 Photo: Peter Tuffrey collection
12. Artful changes
The new-look Fitzalan Square. The large building on the left used to be the Bells Hotel Photo: Dean Atkins