CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Of all the neighborhoods in Cleveland that have evolved through the years, perhaps none have changed as drastically as a stretch of Euclid Avenue once known as "Millionaires' Row."

Some of the wealthiest and most influential families in Ohio (perhaps the nation) once resided on a length of Euclid Avenue that began in what is now downtown Cleveland and ended on the near East Side.

The concentration of wealthy elites was unprecedented at the time, according to the Cleveland Historical Society, and earned the roadway its nickname.

An address on Euclid Avenue once indicated great social status and privilege. Houses along the side of the iconic avenue were grand, featuring intricate Victorian architecture.

Visitors would pass through grandiose gateways and stroll by picturesque gardens on their way to visit the families that lived in the lavish mansions.

John D. Rockefeller, who established the Standard Oil Company in 1870, had a home on Millionaires' Row.

Other famous Clevelanders shared the street with the likes of Rockefeller, including industrialist and politician Marcus Hanna, whose family name is adorned on the Hanna Theatre in Playhouse Square.

Many of those families fled to the suburbs once transportation improved, making a trip to Cleveland from Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights became less arduous.

Rising property taxes continued to drive families from the city in the 1920s, according to the Cleveland Historical Society, and many of the houses along Millionaires' Row were demolished to make way for commercial buildings and parking lots. Even more were razed to clear a path for the innerbelt freeway in the 1950s.

Only a few of the lavish mansions that once inhabited Millionaires' Row remain standing.

Some of those that escaped demolition have been converted from residential homes to other uses. The Children's Museum of Cleveland, for example, bought the Stager-Beckwith mansion for $50,000 in 2014. The building went into foreclosure in 2012.

The Mather mansion, located on what is now Cleveland State University's campus, holds the college's Alumni Relations department and other offices.

Scroll through the gallery above to see vintage pictures of Millionaires' Row and compare them to what Euclid Avenue looks like today.