The water level in the fountain pool can be lowered, turning it into a stage for concerts and theatrical performances.

By 1876, with the completion of the Museum of Fine Arts, Walter Muir Whitehill noted that "Copley Square which — unlike the rest of the Back Bay — had never been properly or reasonably laid out, was beginning to stumble into shape".

[14] But the land comprising the current square, bisected diagonally by Huntington Avenue, was still available for commercial development.

[18] In 1966, a proposal by the Watertown, Massachusetts, landscape design firm Sasaki, Dawson, DeMay was selected from 188 entrants in a national competition sponsored by the city and private development concerns.

The design centered on a sunken terraced plaza, intended to separate the pedestrian from the noise and bustle of the surrounding streets, but it also isolated the square from the community.

[19] In 1983 the Copley Square Centennial Committee, consisting of representatives of business, civic and residential interests, was formed.

The plaza and raised grove are set to reopen in January/February, 2025, with the fountain, lawn, and perimeter sidewalks scheduled for completion after the 2025 Boston Marathon.