Remember George Pullman’s vision. He sought to create a town for his railroad car company employees. This is Pullman.
Pullman is one of Chicago’s 77 community areas. It is located on the city’s South Side. Pullman sits twelve miles from the Chicago Loop near Lake Calumet.
George Pullman built historic Pullman in the 1880s. It was intended as worker housing for the Pullman Palace Car Company. Pullman established standards for residents. Workers had to meet these standards to live there and they had to pay rent.
Solon Spencer Beman was Pullman’s architect. He designed the neighborhood to meet all the workers’ needs. The rowhouses included indoor plumbing, gas and sewers. They were comfortable for the time.
The Pullman Strike occurred in 1894. Demand for Pullman cars decreased during an economic downturn. The Pullman company laid off workers. The company switched many to pay-per-piece work. This reduced total worker income. Rents in Pullman, however, were not reduced.
The Pullman Strike lasted two months. The U.S. government intervened. A Strike Commission was set up in 1894. It decided that the aesthetic features admired by visitors had little monetary value for employees.
After George Pullman’s death in 1897, the Illinois Supreme Court forced the company to sell the town. Operating the town was outside the company’s charter. Chicago annexed the town in 1899. Within ten years, the city sold the houses to their occupants. Pullman became a regular Chicago neighborhood after the strike. Its fortunes rose and fell with the Pullman Company for years.
Industrial and railroad restructuring began in the 1950s. Many jobs were lost. The neighborhood declined. People moved to newer housing in the suburbs. The original Town of Pullman faced demolition for an industrial park in 1960. Residents formed the Pullman Civic Organization and saved their community.
By 1972, Pullman Historic District gained landmark status. This protected the original 900 rowhouses and public buildings. The city established guidelines for new building and renovation. These are administered by the City of Chicago.
Pullman has many significant buildings. These include Hotel Florence, the Clock Tower and Factory. Market Square and Greenstone Church are also important. Pullman is also home to the former church of St. Salomea. Today, Salem Baptist Church of Chicago uses it.
Pullman is served by two Metra Electric Line stations. These are Kensington/115th Street station and Pullman/111th Street station.
Pullman was designated the Pullman National Monument in February 2015. In December 2022, it was re-designated a national historical park. Today, Pullman is gentrifying. Many residents are restoring their homes. Walking tours of Pullman are available.
Many movies have filmed in Pullman. “Road to Perdition” and “The Fugitive” included scenes shot here. “The Polar Express” also based its North Pole architecture on Pullman.