The oldest building on the square is the Herman Kuhlman Duplex, at 22–24 West Taylor Street, which dates to 1851.

In the center of the square is an 1853 monument honoring General Casimir Pulaski.

The house (which fills an entire block) and the square itself, were featured prominently in John Berendt's 1994 true crime novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

The square has been used as a setting for several motion pictures, including the 1997 film version of Berendt's novel and The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd, starring Dennis Weaver, in 1979.

The square is home to Congregation Mickve Israel, which boasts one of the few Gothic-style synagogues in America, dating from 1878.