The Historic Pullman District

Historic Pullman is packed with railway past

A trip to the community of Pullman on Chicago’s Southeast Side is a journey into part of America’s great railway past.

Founded in 1880 by George M. Pullman of the Pullman Palace (rail) Car Company, the town was built as a model industrial enclave that included housing, churches, shops, factories, entertainment as well as employment for its residents.

The best way to see this historic town of 900 homes built from local clay and limestone in its own foundry-- is on a guided walking tour.

Pullman believed that if he provided good housing and a tight-knit community for his workers, loyalty would follow and productivity would be high.

Pullman owned the town and collected rent from every worker — 12,000 people lived in the town in the 1800s — business and organization. Not only were the factories smack dab in the center of the town, so were the churches, entertainment venues, schools and medical facilities.

And so it was until June 26, 1984, when 3,000 workers went on a wildcat strike in Illinois after a 30 percent wage reduction. The strike brought traffic west of Chicago to a halt. Nationally, union rail workers backed the strikers by refusing to run trains containing Pullman cars. Within four days, 125,000 workers on 29 railroads quit work rather than handle the cars.

Riots ensued and 12,000 Army troops were sent in to break the strike. By its end, 13 strikers were killed and 57 were wounded.

In 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court forced the Pullman Co. to divest ownership in the town that became one of Chicago’s neighborhoods. The last Pullman car came off the line in 1981.

Today the community of 2,000 residents is a city, state and National Historic Landmark District. The Historic Pullman Foundation was founded in 1973 to facilitate preservation and restoration of the town’s original structures, including the Hotel Florence, the clock tower and factory, Arcade Building and Greenstone Church. The State of Illinois purchased the Hotel Florence and factory site in 1991.

Though still in need of refurbishing and repair, the town is experiencing a renaissance as the value of the row houses have increased.

Guided walking tours are offered by the Foundation the first Sunday of each month. Tickets are $7 and include entry into the Historic Pullman Visitor Center. Tours begin at the Visitor Center at 1:30 p.m. and lasts about 90 minutes.