The Historic Fifth Street School opened immediately after the Great Depression in 1936. It provided Las Vegas children a much-needed grammar school before closing down in 1966.

The Spanish Mission-style school boasts of green and blue mosaic tile work, an expansive plaza, 10-ft thick walls, over 141 doors and windows, and a beautiful fountain in the center courtyard of the building. For four years, it sat empty until it simply became a structure for Clark County offices.

In 1996, the City of Las Vegas acquired the structure. Both the building and the site were included in the City of Las Vegas Historic Property Register and the National Register of Historic Places. In September 2008, the school reopened after undergoing a major restoration. It housed a variety of local arts and architectural organizations such as the University of Nevada Las Vegas Fine Arts Program, the Nevada School of the Arts, the Downtown Design Center for the School of Architecture, and the City of Las Vegas Cultural Affairs Division.

The school serves as a venue for both public and private affairs.