The district's buildings reflect Peoria's development as an industrial center and major Illinois city.

By the turn of the twentieth century, another economic boom brought a large retail district to downtown Peoria; many of the department stores from this period still stand in the district.

An urban renewal project in the mid-twentieth century brought several Modernist skyscrapers to downtown Peoria as well, including the Caterpillar administration building, the DeKroff Metz and Company Building, and the First Federal Savings Tower.

[2] The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2018.

This article about a property in Peoria County, Illinois on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.