The creation of Bartók Béla Square also dates back to this era. First, the new building of the venerable Cistercian Saint Stephen High School was erected between 1939 and 1940 based on the designs of Elemér Csánk (Rottmann), featuring functional, modern stylistic elements.

Around the square that formed around the high school, the Miklós Horthy Cultural Centre—today known as the István Csók Gallery and Vörösmarty Library—was built between 1940 and 1942, designed by Ferenc Schmidl. "The building serves multiple functions... its construction was initiated by the city, which undertook to erect a suitable building to house the monumental series of paintings depicting Hungarian-French relations, painted by Vilmos Aba-Novák, which won the Grand Prix at the 1937 Paris International Exhibition," as architect Iván Kotsis described the building's purpose and significance. Later, Vilmos Aba-Novák’s significant artwork gathered dust in storage for decades before being restored in 2001; since then, it has been on view periodically between other exhibitions. Following a recent renovation in 2022, the square has become another popular community space in the city, serving as an important venue for cultural events and music festivals.