The civic heart of Birmingham, flanked by the neoclassical Council House (1879) and the older Town Hall (1834), which is modelled on the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome. The square was pedestrianised and redesigned in the 1990s; the result is an open space that works well on a sunny day.
The fountain in the lower part of the square is officially called "The River" — a reclining female figure pouring water from a shell — but has been known to Brummies since its installation in 1993 as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi. Antony Gormley's Iron:Man, a cast-iron figure on the steps, is the other landmark. Birmingham Town Hall hosts concerts and public events; the CBSO performs here occasionally when Symphony Hall is unavailable.