The square was built between 1751 and 1755 on the initiative of Stanislas Leszczyński, according to a design by the architect Emmanuel Héré (the original plans of the establishment are kept in the Polish Library in Paris). The foundation was to honour Leszczyński's son-in-law, King Louis XV, whose statue originally stood on the square. Removed during the Revolution, it was replaced by a statue of Stanislas Leszczyński in 1831, at which point the square was named after him. The square features buildings also designed by Emmanuel Héré, including the Town Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts, as well as the Triumphal Arch and the fountains of Amphitrite and Neptune. The square is listed, along with two nearby squares in Nancy (Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance), as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.