William, who never actually lived in Decatur, was the first Powers to start building commercially. After purchasing farmland in rural Macon and McClean counties, in 1856 he turned his attention to the city, constructing a group of buildings in what became known as Powers Block — the south side of 100 block of East Main. Among those buildings was Powers Hall, which housed Decatur’s first auditorium.

https://herald-review.com/news/local/powerful-family-the-powers-left-their-mark-in-decatur/article_7ab61eb2-c05e-57be-b973-ab5bff6a3e35.html