The main square of La Plata is the heart of the city's geometric plan: four blocks square (twice the size of a normal La Plata block), it was laid out in 1882 as the symbolic centre of the new provincial capital. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception dominates one end; the Palacio Municipal, an eclectic French-style city hall, faces it from the other.
At the centre of the plaza, a foundation stone marks the spot where the city's founding ceremony took place on November 19, 1882 — the "Founding Stone" is treated with a reverence usually reserved for more dramatic monuments. The surrounding gardens are pleasant for a morning walk, with mature trees shading the paths and benches. The surrounding streets have a cluster of good cafes and restaurants, and the plaza is the starting point for most walking explorations of the city centre. At night, when both the cathedral and the municipal palace are illuminated, the square is genuinely impressive.