Hello From Chicago - Part 5 - A Visit To The Pullman Historic District

Chicago, Arlington House, Sunday, October 23,this worker rebellion. Criticized and scorned,
2005, 6:25 amPullman died a bitter man in 1897.
After being appropriately prepped as a result ofIn 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered the
our visit to the Chicago Cultural Center wePullman Company to sell the non-industrial land in
decided to head off yesterday to visit the Pullmanthe neighborhood to its inhabitants, determining
Historic District, a planned industrial and residentialthat the Pullman Palace Car Company did not
community dating back to the 1880s, on Chicago'shave the proper authority to provide
South Side.nonmanufacturing services such as renting
In order to get there we took the red line all theproperty. Finally, residents could buy their homes.
way to the end and then connected onto the 111Robert T. Lincoln, the son of President Lincoln,
bus. What was very interesting to note was thatbecame head of the company after Pullman's
the population on Chicago's south side isdeath and simplified its name to the Pullman
predominantly black, as much of the blackCompany. The Pullman Company continued to
population from the US South had migratedproduce its famous cars at 111th Street and
northwards after the 2nd World War. ActuallyCottage Grove Avenue. But with the explosion of
Chicago was known as one of the most raciallyautomobile ownership, rail passenger traffic went
segregated cities, and today, with the demolitioninto rapid decline. In 1957, Pullman Incorporated
of many of the bleak urban housing projects, theclosed its plant in the neighborhood.
city is attempting to create more integrationOnly three years later, the city of Chicago
between its black and white population.included Pullman on a list of "blighted and
The Pullman Historic District is the manifestationdeteriorating areas" that required clearance and
of a very interesting social experiment: It wasredevelopment. Residents responded by forming
built between 1880 and 1884 as a planned modelthe Pullman Civic Organization and began working
industrial town by George M. Pullman for theto gain landmark status. The Historic Pullman
Pullman Palace Car Company. George PullmanFoundation, which formed in 1973, helps ensure
(1831 to 1897) arrived on the scene with a designthe area's preservation and restoration by
for the Pullman sleeping carriage which he originallysponsoring various events such as neighborhood
developed to carry the dead body of Abrahamwalking tours, annual house tours, Sunday brunch
Lincoln to his funeral. As a result the Pullmanat the Florence Hotel, and presentations at the
Sleeping Car Company was established and aPullman Visitor Center.
whole town was built around the business andIn many ways the housing development was
named after its originator.ahead of its time. Each building, most of them
We went to the Visitor Center and saw antownhouses, had gas and water, complete
18-minute movie that described George Pullmansanitary facilities and abundant quantities of
and his ambitious plans for his development of asunlight and fresh air, which was a rarity at that
model community, a total environment, that hetime, when the working class was mostly housed
intended to be superior to that available to thein squalid tenements. Originally the town of Pullman
working class elsewhere. By so doing, he hoped tohoused about 12,000 people while today it still has
avoid strikes, attract the most skilled workersa population of about 2,000, with an ethnically and
and attain greater productivity as a result of theeconomically mixed background.
better health and spirit of his employees.Other famous buildings on the Pullman grounds
To achieve his vision, George Pullman hired Soloninclude the Hotel Florence, named after Pullman's
S. Beaman, landscape architect Nathan F. Barrettfavourite daughter. It opened in 1881 as a
and civil engineer, Benzette Williams. The townhospitality showcase for visitors to George
was constructed by Pullman employees, using localPullman's perfect town and originally had 50
red clay from Lake Calumet and component partsrooms, a dining room, a billiard room, a parlor and
that were produced in the Pullman factory. Thisthe only bar in Pullman. The Historic Pullman
project is one of the first examples of industrialFoundation managed to save the hotel from
technology and mass production in large-scaledemolition and today the hotel is closed to the
housing. The town was a complete plannedpublic while it is undergoing a capital improvement
community and included schools, a library andprogram to restore it for use with the State
hotel all run by the company.Historic Site.
Pullman's large Arcade building (now demolishedThe Pullman Clock Tower and Administration
and the present location of the Visitor Center)Building was built in 1880 for the executive offices
featured a restaurant, a bank, a library, a postof the Pullman Palace Car Company, at the time
office, a theater, and numerous shops. It was aone of the most beautiful industrial complexes in
forerunner of the modern shopping center. Thethe United States. In 1998 the Clock Tower and
town was completely self-contained. PullmanAdministration Building were seriously damaged by
residents enjoyed the manmade Lake Vista anda fire set by an arsonist. Since then the building
plenty of parks and promenades, featureshas been stabilized and the restored Clock Tower
typically missing from Chicago's working-classwas put back on just a few days before our visit.
neighbourhoods.Future use of the site is currently being debated
The town of Pullman was a model of financialby a task force institute by Chicago Mayor Daley
efficiency. Pullman demanded that the companyand Illinois Governor Ryan.
return an 8-percent profit and the town return aAnother interesting building located on the Pullman
6-percent profit. A huge engine pumped sewageHistoric District is the Queen Anne-style Market
from the town to a nearby Pullman-owned farm,Hall which was built in 1881. The Market provided a
where it was used as fertilizer for produce thatvenue for fresh fruits, meats and other goods.
would be sold back in the town.The original market was destroyed by fire in 1892
George Pullman maintained ultimate control overand a new market was built on the existing
the town, even restricting workers' access tofoundation. The market is surrounded by four
alcohol, as the Hotel Florence only sold alcohol tocolonnaded circular apartment buildings that were
out-of-town visitors. Resentment towards thisbuilt with the new Market Hall in 1893.
paternalistic despot started to build. MisfortuneUnfortunately the Market Hall Building was
struck with the decline of the Pullman car'sdestroyed by fire in 1973 and today it awaits
success which forced George to slash wages.restoration.
Workers responded with a strike, fuelled byThe Greenstone Church, located centrally in the
Pullman's failure to reduce grocery costs and rent,Pullman Historic District, has an exterior facade of
but George simply fired them. The situationserpentine stone quarried in Pennsylvania. The
deteriorated as railway workers refused to handlesanctuary is unchanged with the exception of the
Pullman cars and President Cleveland had tochancel arrangements. All of the cherry wood is
intervene, sending federal troops to the scene.original. Today the church is still occupied by a
The workers were forced to sign documentationMethodist congregation.
declaring that they wouldn't join a union.The visit to the Pullman Historic District was very
Although the strike collapsed, George Pullman'sinteresting. It taught us about a different time of
model for handling the "labour problem" had failed.ultimate laissez-faire capitalism, industrial growth
Pullman had prided himself on his paternalisticand immigration, labour unrest, urban planning,
approach with his workers, and he could not seearchitecture and the ultimate failure of a rather
how his heavy-handed methods had resulted inunique social experiment.