Pullman honors the unique stories of railroads in America’s industrial past, labor history — including formation of the first African-American labor union, urban planning and development of the country’s first model industrial town.

The new Pullman visitor center opened its doors on Labor Day 2021 and will serve as a cornerstone of the park and the culmination of the biggest piece of the Pullman vision. This is the result of hundreds of community members, designers and decision makers collaborating over numerous years.

Press Release

With More than $56 Million Invested, Positioning Pullman Projects Maximize Benefits of Chicago’s First National Park

With more than half of the original 30 projects complete, the next phase of Positioning Pullman will focus on improving infrastructure, renovating the highest priority historic assets and expanding Pullman’s…

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Launched in 2015, Positioning Pullman is a ground-breaking blueprint to guide development and improvements for visitors and residents alike in Chicago’s first national park. It has become a gold standard for integrating urban national parks into their surrounding neighborhoods.

In 2019, we gathered again to take stock of how far we had come in achieving our goals and developed Positioning Pullman 2.0 to outline the next tier of priority projects. We have come along way together!

  • More than half of the projects in the Action Plan have been completed or are underway;

  • More than $56 million of public and private funding has been invested within Pullman National Monument, and;

  • This ground-breaking plan has won 7 Chicago and national awards for excellence.

Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>Worker's Gate</p>

Worker’s Gate
Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>Restoring pedestrian access to the factory grounds</p>

Restoring pedestrian access to the factory grounds
Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>Transfer Pit Corridor</p>

Transfer Pit Corridor
Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>Teaching visitors about Factory Operations</p>

Teaching visitors about Factory Operations
Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>The clock tower and administration building in the Pullman Historic District in the 19th century.</p>

The clock tower and administration building in the Pullman Historic District in the 19th century.

 camera icon © Pullman State Historic Site
Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>Front Lawn Rendering</p>

Front Lawn Rendering
Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>North Factory Wing </p>

North Factory Wing 
Activating this link will open a larger version of the image in the same window for a more detailed viewing. <p>Rendering of the North Wing</p>

Rendering of the North Wing


Park

Pullman National Monument

Industrialist George Pullman launched the Pullman Palace Car Company on Chicago’s South Side in the 1880s to manufacture rail cars, creating a company town with shops, schools and a church.…

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NPCA and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning host the Pullman Transportation Committee, which brings nearly 10 transportation providers together quarterly to realize the great projects in the Pullman Transportation Plan. As a result we have new bike lanes on major streets, hourly train service to and from downtown Chicago, and a host of other improvements underway.

There are a lot of people at work, lending a hand to make Pullman National Monument a great urban national park.

Pullman by Train: Exploring Chicago’s National Park

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