Thank you to everyone who helped welcome the new superintendent of Pullman National Historical Park, Josh Wilks. We’re proud to have him on the team and excited for this new chapter in Pullman’s history. The future of Pullman continues to shine brightly as we preserve and share the stories that helped shape our country.
Step off the main streets and see Pullman in a whole new way.
Behind the Facade: Pullman’s Alley Tour takes you into the overlooked spaces that quietly shaped life in Pullman National Historical Park. These aren’t just back alleys—they were part of a carefully planned system that reveals how the town really worked, from daily routines to bigger ideas about order, design, and control.
Chicago may be known as the alley capital of America, but nowhere tells that story quite like Pullman.
Sunday, May 24 at 1 PM Starts at Pullman Exhibit Hall Come see the stories hiding in plain sight.
Link in the comments.
Step off the main streets and see Pullman in a whole new way.
Behind the Facade: Pullman’s Alley Tour takes you into the overlooked spaces that quietly shaped life in Pullman National Historical Park. These aren’t just back alleys—they were part of a carefully planned system that reveals how the town really worked, from daily routines to bigger ideas about order, design, and control.
Chicago may be known as the alley capital of America, but nowhere tells that story quite like Pullman.
Sunday, May 24 at 1 PM Starts at Pullman Exhibit Hall Come see the stories hiding in plain sight.
Link in the comments.
We’re excited to continue growing and building the future of @pullmannps Pullman National Historical Park with new Superintendent Josh Wilks. Stop by for coffee and donuts and help us give him a warm Pullman welcome!
Join us outside behind the Pullman Exhibit Hall on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. The event is free, but RSVP is requested. We’d love to see you there! QR code in the comments.
This striking 1876 promotional poster did more than advertise a route. It showcased the Pullman Palace Car Company as the symbol of modern rail travel.
Pullman cars set the journey apart with upholstered seating, sleeping berths, and attentive service that made long trips feel like a stay in a fine hotel. Travel became an experience, not just transportation.
Created during the United States Centennial Exposition era, the ad reflected national pride in progress and how Pullman helped redefine what Americans expected from the journey itself. Today, visitors can see where many Pullman cars were created at Pullman National Historical Park.
Step off the main streets and see Pullman in a whole new way.
Behind the Facade: Pullman’s Alley Tour takes you into the overlooked spaces that quietly shaped life in Pullman National Historical Park. These aren’t just back alleys—they were part of a carefully planned system that reveals how the town really worked, from daily routines to bigger ideas about order, design, and control.
Chicago may be known as the alley capital of America, but nowhere tells that story quite like Pullman.
Sunday, May 24 at 1 PM Starts at Pullman Exhibit Hall Come see the stories hiding in plain sight.
Link in the comments.
The @chicagosuntimes just published an article highlighting the effort to help preserve one of @pullmannps most important historic spaces: Market Hall.
The original Market Hall was built in 1881 as the center of daily life in Pullman, filled with shops, gathering spaces, and community activity. After that structure was destroyed by fire, the current Market Hall was rebuilt in 1892. Additional fires later gutted much of the building before the Friends of Pullman National Historical Park stepped in during the mid-1970s to help save it.
Today, a major stabilization project has helped secure the historic structure for the future. “Market Hall is worth the time and effort,” said Richard Wilson of the Friends of Pullman National Historical Park.
The work restored historic masonry and limestone, stabilized walls, rebuilt stairs, and reopened portions of the structure that had long been inaccessible, helping preserve another important chapter of America’s industrial and labor story. #Freedom250 Link to story in comments.
More than $1.4 million in critical stabilization work has helped secure Market Hall, including masonry repairs, improved drainage to protect the foundation, and the careful restoration of historic elements.
Saving Market Hall is about more than stabilizing a building, it’s about protecting a piece of America’s story as we approach the nation’s 250th.
Once the heart of daily life in Pullman, this space reflects the everyday experiences of the workers and families who built the community.
As we look toward #Freedom250, this is what preservation means: honoring the places where everyday Americans lived, worked, and built community.
Step off the main streets and see Pullman in a whole new way.
Behind the Facade: Pullman’s Alley Tour takes you into the overlooked spaces that quietly shaped life in Pullman National Historical Park. These aren’t just back alleys—they were part of a carefully planned system that reveals how the town really worked, from daily routines to bigger ideas about order, design, and control.
Chicago may be known as the alley capital of America, but nowhere tells that story quite like Pullman.
Sunday, May 24 at 1 PM Starts at Pullman Exhibit Hall Come see the stories hiding in plain sight.
Link in the comments.
The WP&D Board spent last Saturday exploring Pullman National Historical Park and diving into the history, planning, and legacy of one of Chicago’s most iconic company towns.
A huge thank you to our National Park Service ranger, Elijah Olomoniyi, for an engaging tour of the museum and a deep dive into the story of the Pullman Factory. We’re also grateful to Rebecca Conant from Friends of Pullman, for leading us through the south Pullman neighborhood and helping bring the lived experience of Pullman residents to life. And thank you to Daniela Salgado of Friends of Pullman for thoughtfully curating a day that resonated with our planning perspectives.
It was incredibly insightful to explore a neighborhood that was entirely planned, designed, and built in the 1880s—in just five years. As one of the country’s first model industrial communities, Pullman introduced innovations like running water, electricity, and integrated infrastructure at a time when those amenities were virtually unheard of in working-class housing.
One of the biggest takeaways? The core challenges of Pullman’s original design, housing affordability, access to goods and services, and questions of economic equity, are still central to planning and development conversations today.
We wrapped up the afternoon with lunch from D'Masti and a thoughtful conversation about board priorities for the year ahead. It was a meaningful day of learning and reflection with fellow planners passionate about Chicago’s past and future.
A basketball hangs in the air as neighborhood boys play in a Pullman alley in this lively 1970s scene, with garages, utility poles, and a distant smokestack framing everyday life beyond the front porches. Now you can explore these hidden spaces for yourself on the Behind the Facade: Pullman’s Alley Tour at Pullman National Historical Park on May 24 at 1:00 p.m.
Beyond the carefully planned streets, Pullman’s alleys were where deliveries arrived, neighbors gathered, children played, and community life unfolded for generations.
Join us to walk these historic pathways and hear stories of workers, families, resilience, and the spirit that helped shape Pullman’s history.
Tour begins at the Pullman Exhibit Hall $17.85 General Admission | $12.51 Student/Senior | Free under 12 Register now. Link in the comments.
A recent beer history tour at @pullmannps was a big success, drawing attendees eager to learn how Pullman’s “dry town” reputation didn’t always match reality.
This @chicagotribune article by Janice Neumann highlighted the event, which explored how residents and workers found ways around George Pullman’s alcohol ban. While saloons were prohibited inside Pullman, beer culture never disappeared. Workers crossed the tracks to nearby Kensington Avenue taverns or found other ways to bring beer into the neighborhood.
The program connected Pullman history with Chicago’s brewing heritage through tastings from @seippbeer Conrad Seipp Brewing Company and talks from local historians. @beerculturecenter
Mike Shymanski summed it up perfectly: “Pullman didn’t object to people drinking but didn’t want to accommodate it.” He also shared how, at the union foundry in North Pullman during hot summers, beer wagons would arrive and workers on lunch break would come out for a drink.
The article also noted how steel railcar production drew immigrant workers whose traditions helped shape the neighborhood, proving once again that Pullman history is full of surprises.
