[2] The history of Aristotelous Square begins with the Great Fire of 1917 that destroyed two thirds of the city of Thessaloniki.

Under Ottoman rule, the city grew without the guidance of a general plan for expansion and had narrow streets.

Throughout his plan for Thessaloniki, Hébrard implemented an element that was missing from the pre-1917 architecture of the city: imposing façades.

[3] Hébrard designed the monumental axis so that looking uphill from the square one could see the city's Byzantine walls and the Upper Town.

This part of the design was never realized due to a lack of funds,[3] although following archeological excavations unearthed the ancient Roman agora at the same spot were the Civic Square was planned.

[7][8] It is an important tourist attraction for the city, and the numerous cafes and bars that line up the square make it popular with the younger generations.

[11] Due to its location in the heart of the city, the square is used for almost all major celebrations, including that of the lighting of the official Christmas tree of Thessaloniki and the New Year countdown.

Every year the municipality organizes the Celebration of the Angels (Greek: Γιορτή των Αγγέλων),[7] which is the official lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree and is accompanied by other festive activities, including bands, choirs, popular Greek singers and fireworks displays.

[19] Many other demonstrations have been held in the square in recent years on a variety of subjects ranging from religious affairs, education reforms and the economic crisis.

[10] Because of its resemblance to a bottle when viewed from above, an aerial photograph of the square was recently used in an advertisement for Absolut Vodka.