The Gordon Square Arts District comprises an area of the west side of Cleveland which was once most famously known as the home grounds of the McCart Street gang, one of Cleveland's most infamous street gangs. During the gang's late nineteenth century reign, and thereafter well into the twentieth century, the neighborhood experienced successive waves of immigration from Europe, which marked it in unique and special ways. Today, in the space of a short walk, visitors can experience the Irish, the Italians, the Romanians, and others who contributed to making this one of the most interesting historic ethnic neighborhoods of Cleveland.

From West Cleveland Village and headquarters of the notorious McCart Street Gang in the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century arrival of Cleveland Public Theater (CPT) and rebirth of Gordon Square Arcade and the Capitol Theater, this west side neighborhood of Cleveland has, over the course of the last 130 years, successfully transitioned into a vibrant arts district which has managed to retain a unique ethnic neighborhood flavor.