Since its foundation in 1911, the Fawkes Building has been home to an eclectic array of tenants, each adding a new layer to its storied past. In its early days, car dealers, lumber agents, and architects gathered at the nearby Parade Inn for coffee and conversation, while Western Union clerks and Prohibition-era rum-runners passed through the building's halls. Even during the Great Depression, when economic hardships forced many tenants to leave, new arrivals like automatic doughnut machines, basement casket storage, and a morticians' magazine publisher added an unusual charm to the space.

During World War II, the Fawkes Building adapted again, with tenants producing essential war materials, from rubber goods to machinery. After the war, gas appliances replaced cars in the showrooms, and a new era arrived when Billy Graham’s Evangelical Association moved in, marking a shift in the building’s purpose and character.

In the 1960s, the Fawkes Building became a headquarters for politics and social services, hosting DFL meetings and advocacy groups. Later, a creative "hippie" community transformed the building’s spaces into studios and therapy centers—one filmmaker even kept a pet panther in his basement studio. By the late 1970s, as renovations breathed new life into the structure, the building attracted architects, photographers, and designers, revitalizing it as a hub for creative professionals. Today, the Fawkes Building stands as a historic landmark, still vibrant with a community of tenants who embody the spirit of innovation and creativity that defined its early days.