Market Square has been at the center of Pittsburgh, literally, for over two centuries. It has undergone many changes over the last couple hundred years, the latest rounds occuring in 1961 and 1981. In 1961, the long standing Diamond Market was torn down. The old Market was unique in that it was built over the roadway, in two seperate sections. When the buildings were torn down they left the roadways intact, and the footprints of the buildings left four squares which became the open plaza. Market Square became the unofficial "center of town," the place where many celebrations took place. It became a public gathering spot, or for many, a place to just sit quietly and feed the pigeons.

In the early 1980s, construction of the new PPG Plaza threatened to obliterate the square, and many citizens and businesses petitioned to save the landmark buildings surrounding the plaza. In the end, one corner of the square was sacrificed for construction and the remaining structures were left intact. Now Market Square is a mixture of the old and the new, with the century old shops ringing three quarters of the plaza and the picturesque and mirror-like PPG Plaza towering over the landscape.

Market Square is a very busy place, especially at lunch time during the weekdays, when large crowds descend upon the plaza to visit the many eateries or to take in the live entertainment that plays daily on the small stage. It is a nice place to stop on a sunny day to relax, enjoy a little bit of that Pittsburgh feeling, and maybe grab a sandwich at the almost famous Primanti Brothers.