Vermillion's downtown district moved from below the bluff after the 1881 flood destroyed the original town and forced development onto higher ground. The new business district was established on the north side of Vine (Main) Street. Some pre-flood buildings were salvaged, but most were rebuilt. After fires destroyed much of downtown in 1883 and 1890, a city ordinance required buildings to be made of fireproof materials. Vine and Market Streets competed to become the center of the business district, and it was speculated that a Vine Street supporter built his residence at the north end of Vine Street in a way that blocked any extension of Market Street. Vine Street ultimately prevailed because Market Street was not a thoroughfare and was not large enough to support the downtown. Beginning in the 1940s, many businesses moved to Cherry Street/Highway 50, the main corridor through town, leaving many downtown buildings vacant. The city later revitalized the downtown streetscape, and businesses moved back into the downtown district, reintroducing it as an exciting and essential part of Vermillion.