King's Square is the central public space of uptown Saint John, a tree-lined green square surrounded by Victorian commercial buildings, churches, and civic architecture. It has been the civic heart of the city since the Loyalist founding in 1785, and it shows: the square has a bandstand, war memorials, benches, and mature trees that make it a pleasant place to sit.
The surrounding streets hold some of Saint John's best Victorian streetscapes. The Imperial Theatre (1913) on the south side is a restored Beaux-Arts performance venue worth a look even if nothing is on. The Admiral Beatty Hotel, a grand 1924 building, anchors the north side. Walking circuits around the square and along King Street and Charlotte Street give a feel for the Victorian commercial city that Saint John once was — and partly still is, in the sections that survived the fires and demolitions of the twentieth century.