Pullman is on the Far South Side---really as far south as you can go. It's surrounded by current but mainly former industrial sites and old working-class neighborhoods. The NPS designation has been a long-time coming. People in Pullman and the Far South Side have been pushing for it for years. Their historical foundation and the IL Historic Preservation Agency rebuilt many of the neglected buildings. It's a well-deserving designation, fought for and granted in the right way.
The primary interpretive focus will be labor history, since the Pullman factory and factory town were the sites of the most important moments in those regards. So the significance includes: the development of the Pullman company (which built train cars), the role of Pullman company in regards to black history (the Pullman porters), the planning and construction of the largest 'company town' ever attempted, social history of the workers in the late-19th and early-20th century, the labor movement and 1893 strike (perhaps the most important moment in US labor history), the decline of the industrial economy on the Far South Side (Pullman, and steel). Eventually, you'll probably see some Obama focus, since he was a community organizer nearby. But pay no attention to any claims that this is an Obama vanity project or a special interest deal. The designation has had broad bipartisan support, and the NPS officially recommended designation after an exhaustive study that was in the works before Obama was elected. If Obama had not designated it, then it would have still made it through Congressional designation.
Say what you want about unions today, but the labor movement shaped modern America in profound ways. And the NPS doesn't really have anything in its portfolio that addresses this (Lowell, MA, a little).
There are some amazing buildings to tell this story (even though some of the best have been lost). Also, there are belts of the original workers' row houses, which are unlike anything else.
It's a great site. I don't think it will spur any kind of major economic development, and it's not going to set any records for visitors. It's a long haul from the other tourist areas of Chicago. Last I heard, the park will have a very small staff, and since much of the interpretation is already in place, most of the changes will involve branding and long-term strategic planning as part of NPS. I have several colleagues who processed hundreds of boxes of documents from the Pullman Historical Society---which will probably now be transferred to the NPS and properly cared for.
There is a major problem that took many off guard, and we public historians in the area are still trying to make sense of it. The Florence Hotel, which is the centerpiece of historic Pullman, will not be transferred to NPS. Instead, it will remain with the Illinois Historic Preservation Administration. Yet, just this week, Gov Rauner announced plans to transfer all IHPA properties to the state tourism office (where there are no historians, fwiw). The historic site program in the state is a political football, which will probably turn into a bargaining chip between Rauner and the Democrat super-majority legislature. Certainly, the Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield will be given independent state status. But I digress.
I would add that the exact timing of the announcement does have political meaning. The Chicago municipal election is Tuesday. Rahm is very weak on the South Side and with black voters (relative to most Chicago mayors). So BHO choppering-in for a designation ceremony this week was no coincidence. Invaluable photo op for Rahm (although it is turning out that he really won't need BHO's push, as the challengers have been weak and Rahm spent them into the ground).
This post was edited on 2/20 12:23 PM by Anodyne
