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In the heart of Westminster, Smith Square is dominated by the grade I-listed Church of St John the Evangelist, built in the early eighteenth century from Portland stone in the English Baroque style. It is surrounded by mature gardens, early-mid nineteenth century lamps and large London Plane trees. The church's floor plan represents a Greek cross with circular towers at each corner. The north and south façades have giant Tuscan columns, while the east and west fronts have large Venetian windows.
The church has taken a battering over the centuries: The conservation area report says "St John's was gutted by fire in 1742, struck by lightning in 1773 and seriously damaged by a German bomb in 1941" and then refurbished in 1965-69 by Marshall Sisson for use as a concert hall.
There are a number of other listed buildings in the square, including early eighteenth century terraces, and some early twentieth century buildings, such as the neo-Georgian Thorney House, which was built right before the First World War.
