The Fine Arts building, located on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland's Central neighborhood, was originally constructed in 1873 as a Second Empire-style mansion for John H. Devereaux. The ornate house, which does remain surprisingly intact, was substantially modified with front and rear additions in 1921-22, which converted the once-grand home into the Fine Arts Building, which housed studios and living quarters for artists, musicians, and writers, and was considered, for a time, the center of the Cleveland art community. Through the 1940s, the building remained a vibrant center of activity; however, the postwar period was not kind to the building, and occupancy fell by 50% during the 1950s and 1960s, due to changes and a general decline of the surrounding area, as well as the Euclid Avenue corridor. By the 1970s, the building no longer had many artists as tenants, but it still functions as a mixed-use residential and retail structure. With the improvements to the surrounding area and corridor in recent years, there is some hope that this building will, once again, become a vibrant and desirable location once again.