A real life snowglobe: Winter comes to the Pullman neigborhood
Hotel Florence, 111th just east of Cottage Grove (photo by Lee Bey)
A blanket of snow has fallen on the city. S0 take a drive–better yet, a ride on the Metra Electric commuter rail–to the city’s historic Pullman neighborhood on the far South Side. Few places in Chicago are as picturesque after a snowfall.
111th Street Metra Electric platform looking north. Pullman Clocktower on the left (Photo by Lee Bey)
(photo by Lee Bey)
The neighborhood was originally a planned industrial town–America’s first–built in the late 1880s by railroad car magnate George M. Pullman. The former factory was nearly lost in a spectacular extra alarm fire more than a decade ago, but has been almost rebuilt, down to the functioning clock tower (even if the time isn’t quite correct). The town pretty much stands looking the way it did in the 1890s, with its sturdy brick home and rowhouses in remarkably good condition.
This USA Today story gives a pretty good primer on the area. Better still, my pal Geoffrey Baer at WTTW takes a walk through Pullman beginning at the 15:40 mark of his Hidden Chicago 2 documentary. And the neighborhood makes an appearance in the 1990’s Harrison Ford film “The Fugitive.” Ford’s Richard Kimble makes a call from a Pullman row house at 112th and St Lawrence, and the coppers pull up in front of historic Greenstone Church looking for him.
No snow, but you get the idea..
09
02 2010
blogs.vocalo.org
Might you recommend any other 19th Century mansions available for small group trours, Lee Bey? I’ve just visited the Dickerson Marble Palace & my associate wrote a web log blog about it @ http://www.makingchicagohome.com.
Mark, thanks for reading. And double-thanks for the link. I might suggest Altavista Terrace on the North Side and one of my favorites, Longwood Drive south of 99th Street in the Beverly neighborhood. King Drive south of 35th is also an excellent spot.
Ah, Pullman.
The future home of the Barack Obama Presidential Museum.
Lee Bey: President and Director of the Museum.
Perhaps like the Lincoln Library and Museum in beautiful Springfield Ill e noise it can have some animatronic figures.
I vote for a McCain figure that snarls and a Palin figure that goes “you betcha” every few minutes.
Time enough to worry about that until the second term.
@Irish: ha! To paraphrase the great President Lyndon Groucho Marx Johnson: I will not seek, nor would I accept, the presidency of any museum that would have me as president.
Lee,
you had the brilliant idea to put the Library/Museum in Pullman. Now you have to follow it to fruition.
You have the Metra and Amtrak right there.
Plenty o vacant land.
Historic architecture.
Area desperately needs an economic boost.
A true flash of brilliance on your part.
Now if you choose to let this oversized crown of responsibility fall on the head of someone else, the Library will likely end up in north Woodlawn across from Mount Carmel.
Woodlawn certainly needs the boost, but not as much as Pullman.
Lee, it is your destiny.
You know, when you put it that way…
When I pushed this idea on my old blog, I believed it had merit. I still do. It needs other advocates as well. It’s a state-owned property, along with the Hotel Florence, and I think after November–and we have stable leadership in the governor’s mansion–it’s an issue worth revisiting.
The idea has more than just “merit”. It’s great.
What you need is a gig that gives you the time, money, and bully pulpit to bring the idea to life.
Lee Bey for Lieutenant Governor!
I’d love to see you debate the 27 year old rich kid who got the GOP nomination.
Rich Kid: “I worked for a variety of my daddy’s businesses.”
Lee Bey: “I grew up on the South Side of Chicago and went to public schools.”
Rich Kid: “You win.”
Thank you, Irish. :-)
You’re welcome.
Now keep up the photos and the blogging.
As for the commenter who asked about neighborhoods to visit I’d suggest the Hutchinson Street district.
http://egov.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/H/HutchinsonStreet.html
Or Jackson Park Highlands.
The photo pages linked at Yochicago.com and the youtube videos there are a great resource on many Chicago neighborhoods.
Lee, Thanks for blogging about your passion.
Keep doing what you do so well… keep opening up our eyes to the wonder that surrounds us everyday but often goes unnoticed. And may you journey be layered with continued success.