The William H. Block Company was a department store chain in Indianapolis and other cities in Indiana.

[1] To the People of the State of Indiana, and Especially to the Home Folks of Indianapolis, This Magnificent New Store is Dedicated.

The architect for the 1934 expansion was Kurt Vonnegut, Sr. During the expansion the building's interior and exterior was redesigned in a moderne style, including furnishings, stainless steel escalators, and two-story polished black marble and stainless steel facade entrances.

Architectural drawings of the entrances became the trademark logo for the store on gift boxes, print advertisements, and company stationery.

Block's was the second largest retail company in Indiana, its primary competitor L. S. Ayres & Co. being the larger.

Block's, being directly across the street from the traction terminal, was the first department store shoppers would visit.

The net result of the interurban system to Block's and its competitors was a customer base that rivaled that of much larger Midwestern and eastern cities, such as Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

[9][10] After Block's had left the corner of Indiana and Kirkwood avenues, the location was occupied by the Space Port Video Arcade from 1980 until it was forced to leave in 1995 when site was purchased by the University for the construction of Carmichael Center.

Block's acquired some TV broadcasting equipment with a small tower above the main store and went on the air briefly.

However, America's entry into World War II suspended this small operation and the equipment was transferred to the local Naval Training Station.

In 1947, Block's was granted a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) construction permit for television station WWHB, channel 3.

The stores in downtown Springfield and at the open air Southern Plaza shopping Center were also closed.

The Springfield location remained vacant for over a decade while the Southern Plaza[30] building was demolished and replaced with a Kroger grocery store.