Caterpillar headquarters will replace historic Peoria store

Caterpillar Inc.'s plans to build a new headquarters in downtown Peoria will transform what was once a popular retail district for the region.
The Peoria Journal Star reports Block and Kuhl served Peoria and central and southern Illinois for most of the 20th century. The building now is a bank, but it once was a store considered a landmark in Peoria. 
The building first was known as Schipper and Block and was the first steel structure in Peoria when it opened in 1905. The name changed to Block and Kuhl in 1914, which it remained until 1961 when Carson Pirie Scott & Co. took over the store. 
When it was at its peak 500 people worked for Block and Kuhl throughout the year.