Pullman Presbyterian Church

Why did Pullman’s grand vision for a united church fail? We stand before the Pullman Presbyterian Church, a testament to both ambition and irony. Originally called the Greenstone Church, this structure was meant to be a shared space for all denominations in Pullman. George Pullman, the town’s founder, envisioned a harmonious community, united even in faith. He commissioned this beautiful building, constructed from serpentine limestone quarried in Pennsylvania, with its original cherry wood interior still gracing the sanctuary. It was designed to seat 600 souls, a beacon of unity in his model town. The church was consecrated in 1881 by Rev. Dr. James Pullman, George’s brother. However, Pullman’s utopian ideal faltered. The rent, a steep $300 per month for the church and $65 for the parsonage, proved too high for the various denominations to share. The Greenstone Church, built for unity, sat empty. Ironically, it was the Presbyterian congregation that eventually occupied the Greenstone Church, before selling it to the Methodists in 1906. This same Methodist minister, John Carwardin, later became a key figure in the 1894 Pullman Strike, advocating for the workers against the Pullman Company. The strike ultimately led to a court ruling forcing the company to divest itself of all non-manufacturing related properties, including this church. The Greenstone Church, intended as a symbol of unity, became a silent witness to the town’s growing divisions and eventual transformation. Today, the Pullman Presbyterian Church continues to serve its community, a lasting reminder of a vision unfulfilled and a town’s complex history.