By Adriana Cargill
The Pullman neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side has always been a place where worlds and ideas collide. Some of America’s most important disputes between factory owners and factory workers, African Americans and white Americans, and preservationists and city planners have taken place here. Following Pullman’s designation as a national monument by President Obama, the National Park Service has set up shop in the neighborhood. Community members discuss their ideas for the future of Pullman while the new park ranger shares next steps for the new Park Service property.
Photo at top: Homes in the historic Pullman district housed workers for the Pullman Palace Car Company. The National Park Service says the social hierarchy of the workforce was built into the houses; the larger and more ornate houses on Arcade Row were reserved for company officers while the row houses or single tenement housing was built for laborers of lower rank. (Adriana Cargill/Medill)
