POSITIONING PULLMAN 2.0 A Bright Future for Chicago’s National Park Supported in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust & Alphawood Foundation
“NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE, OUR PARKS AND OUR MONUMENTS, OUR LANDS, OUR WATERS-- THESE PLACES ARE THE BIRTHRIGHT OF ALL AMERICANS.” President Barack Obama Pullman National Monument Designation February 2015
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POSITIONING PULLMAN 2.0 In late 2015, just months after President Barack Obama designated Pullman National Monument, hundreds of architects, planners, engineers, economists, representatives from the National Park Service and all levels of government, Chicago leaders and Pullman residents came together for a three-day collaborative workshop. The goal was to develop a shared vision for the historic Pullman neighborhood-turned national park site. The process started with a town hall meeting to gather public input, followed by an all-day workshop that included more than 40 design professionals giving their time to develop the ideas they heard from the community. The third day featured an open house that drew more than 400 people to see these initial concepts. The concepts, project ideas and drawings were then developed into a book - Positioning Pullman - a comprehensive blueprint for Chicago’s first national park, which included 33 discrete priority projects in four areas: • • • •
Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse National Park Experience Access – Streets, Transit, Bikes and Infrastructure Economic Impact and Community Development
The Pullman community, City of Chicago, State of Illinois, National Park Service and many others who helped shape the vision would not let the ideas in Positioning Pullman go unfulfilled. In 2019, we gathered the original group of volunteers and advocates together that developed Positioning Pullman and we invited new voices to the table to take stock of how far we had come in achieving shared goals and to outline the next tier of priority projects. Pullman has come a long way! Together we are ready to outline new opportunities for collaboration and bring more great things to Pullman National Monument and State Historic Site and the region. National Parks Conservation Association Lynn McClure, Senior Director AIA Chicago Zurich Esposito, Executive Vice President Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture Richard Wilson, City Design Director, AIA Project Lead
National Parks Conservation Association and AIA Chicago, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, spearheaded this effort and pledged that Positioning Pullman would not become just another plan that sits gathering dust.
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NORTH PULLMAN HOUSING INITIATIVES
NATIONAL A. PHILIP RANDOLPH PULLMAN PORTER MUSEUM NEW INDUSTRIAL, RETAIL & HOUSING INVESTMENTS
PULLMAN FIREHOUSE RESTORATION & REUSE TRANSFER PIT INTERPRETIVE CORRIDOR WORKER’S GATE RECONSTRUCTION
PULLMAN VISITOR CENTER & FACTORY GROUNDS RESTORATION
ARCADE BUILDING INTERPRETIVE ATTRACTION
ARTSPACE HOUSING
HOTEL FLORENCE RESTORATION MARKET SQUARE ACTIVATION
LIVERY STABLES RESTORATION & REUSE
PULLMAN HISTORIC DISTRICT STREETSCAPE ENHANCEMENTS
AWARDS Honor Award in Analysis and Planning, ASLA National, 2017 Burnham Award for Excellence in Planning, MPC, 2016 Daniel Burnham Award for Master Planning, AIA Illinois, 2016 Regional and Urban Design Award, AIA Chicago, 2016 Honor Award in Analysis and Planning, ASLA Illinois, 2016 Strategic Planning Award, APA Illinois, 2016 John Baird Award for Stewardship in Historic Preservation, City of Chicago, 2015 Solon S. Beman Award, Historic Pullman Foundation, 2015 ASLA = American Society of Landscape Architects MPC = Metropolitan Planning Council AIA = American Institute of Architects APA = American Planning Association
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IMPLEMENTING THE VISION NEW HOTEL, FOOD & SERVICE BUSINESSES
The hundreds of people who developed the vision for Pullman National Monument have also ensured its success. Since 2015 when Positioning Pullman was released:
More than half of the projects in the plan have been completed or are underway. More than $56 million of public and private funding has been invested within Pullman National Monument. This ground-breaking, community-driven plan has won eight national, regional and local awards for excellence.
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PULLMAN NATIONAL MONUMENT
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COMPLETE OR UNDERWAY We’ve made tremendous progress on completing or starting more than half of the projects prioritized in Positioning Pullman. Most of the projects underway are in pursuit of opening a new visitor center in the iconic clock tower building. Other successes include improvements in streets, transit and bike access. Still, there are high priority projects left to do.
FACTORY COMPLEX INITIATIVES Environmental Remediation Visitor Center in Clock Tower Building Front Yard Landscape Rear Yard Landscape Workers Gate Reconstruction Transfer Pit Corridor Architectural Lighting North Wing Restoration Rear Erecting Shop Restoration STREETSCAPE INITIATIVES 111th Street Streetscape Viaduct Enhancement (Partial) Cottage Grove Streetscape 103rd Street Streetscape 115th Street Streetscape
TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVES Transportation Access Study Bike Program Transit Station Improvements (Partial) Coordinated Parking Program NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES Pullman Community Center Hotel Florence (Partial) Artspace Housing Public Art Program Firehouse Market Square Livery Stables North Pullman Housing Pullman & Arcade Park Restoration Arcade Building Interpretation
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PULLMAN VISITOR CENTER OPENING SPRING 2021
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SUCCESSES
NEW VISITOR CENTER AND SITE The National Park Service and Illinois Department of Natural Resources have partnered to design and renovate the iconic Pullman Administration Building and factory grounds, the top priority in Positioning Pullman.
More than $34 million of public and private funds has been raised for this project - the largest scale investment within Pullman in decades. Opening in Spring 2021, the visitor center will feature educational exhibits about George Pullman and the Pullman Palace Car Company, the planning and design of his model town, ensuing labor issues and the Pullman Porter legacy. The visitor center will also feature multipurpose facilities for use by surrounding communities. Site design features include an interpretive landscape in the front lawn along Cottage Grove Avenue with circular gateway feature, Lake Vista landform and iconic Pullman yard sign. At 111th Street and St. Lawrence Avenue, the historic Worker’s Gate will be reconstructed to restore pedestrian access between the neighborhood, Hotel Florence and factory grounds. A Transfer Pit interpretive corridor will educate people about factory operations and the workforce in a variety of hardscape and planted spaces featuring archaeological relics. The factory grounds are envisioned as an open and welcoming public space for the enjoyment of visitors and community residents year-round. Renovation of the historic clock tower building was recently completed, including structural repairs and roof and window replacement. Buildout of the interior of the visitor center and site construction will commence early 2020.
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WORKER’S GATE RECONSTRUCTION
RESTORING PEDESTRIAN ACCESS TO THE FACTORY GROUNDS
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TRANSFER PIT CORRIDOR
TEACHING VISITORS ABOUT FACTORY OPERATIONS
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FUTURE NORTH WING EXHIBIT HALL DISPLAYING PULLMAN RAILCARS
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The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is preparing an interpretive plan for the North Wing in order to secure funding for building restoration and future railcar display. Building stabilization is partially funded and will commence in 2020.
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SUCCESSES
IMPROVING TRANSIT AND STREETS TRANSPORTATION PLAN The Pullman Transportation Plan is completed, providing a comprehensive set of solutions to improve transit, streets, bike and pedestrian access. TRANSIT Thanks to the commitment of transit providers Metra and Chicago Transit Authority, we have improved bus and train service to Pullman: • Metra has increased service at 111th Street to and from downtown to hourly during non-peak times. • CTA has extended its #4 Cottage Grove Avenue bus service from downtown to 115th Street. • Metra replaced the decrepit 111th Street station with a new structure reminiscent of Pullman design. They also implemented platform, viaduct and lighting improvements and have committed to making the 111th Street station fully accessible. STREETS AND BIKES The Chicago Department of Transportation is in the process of redeveloping 111th Street in the Pullman gateway corridor. The project includes street and streetscape redesign and construction, as well as a mid-block pedestrian crossing to restore the historic connection between the Hotel Florence and Worker’s Gate. These improvements were a high priority in Positioning Pullman to provide traffic calming and safety for visitors in keeping with the neighborhood’s historic character. CDOT has made improvements on Cottage Grove Avenue north from 111th Street by making parking spaces and bike lanes. They have also extended the Divvy bike share program to Pullman.
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SUCCESSES
ART AND ARTSPACE
ART Alderman Anthony Beale spearheaded a public art project at the 111th Street viaduct, which opens the door to improving viaducts with public art throughout the neighborhood. ARTSPACE In 2012, a group of Pullman residents and Chicago leaders, hosted by National Parks Conservation Association, toured an artist live-work space in Lowell National Historical Park. Immediately following this trip the Pullman Artspace project took life. Opened in late 2019, Artspace is a combination of historic renovation and new construction and includes 38 artist apartments and 2,000 square feet of community space. This project is the first new construction in Pullman’s historic core in decades.
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WHAT IS NEXT FOR PULLMAN? PRIORITIZING PEOPLE AND ACTION
The vision that hundreds of people developed for Pullman as Chicago’s first national park is undeniably successful, but we still have work to do. The projects in the Positioning Pullman Action Plan that are not yet started remain our priorities. We have also identified new priorities as we map Pullman’s success and its influence on other projects within the region. For example, the Beaubien Woods area recently held a workshop similar to Positioning Pullman to identify priorities for growth. Connections from Beaubien, Altgeld Gardens, Lake Calumet, Roseland and other adjacent neighborhoods to Pullman has risen in importance. The success to date – and in the future – at Pullman National Monument is because of the energy and commitment of a large group of people working to make Chicago’s first national park a shining star that benefits residents and visitors alike.
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PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE
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COMPLETE THE ACTION PLAN PRIORITIES IN POSITIONING PULLMAN
These priorities are the product of an inclusive public process and were designed to improve infrastructure, renovate the highest priority historic assets and tell the Pullman stories within the neighborhood and its parks. Some of these projects have risen in priority since Positioning Pullman was completed. Greenstone Church is in dire need of structural repair and renovation. If not addressed soon, the Church will further deteriorate risking one of Pullman’s historic iconic places. Completing the original Action Plan means committing time and resources to such priority projects as: • Cottage Grove Avenue improvements to complete the gateway corridors work. • New Metra stations at stops within Pullman National Monument (103rd, 107th, 115th). • Hotel Florence renovation and opening to the public. • Renovation of Greenstone Church, Market Hall, the firehouse and historic homes opened to the public. • Redesign and renovation of Pullman and Arcade Parks.
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PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE CONNECT NORTH AND SOUTH PULLMAN AND PROVIDE NEW GREEN SPACE NORTH OF 111TH STREET
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Nearly half of the projects not yet underway in the Positioning Pullman Action Plan are in north Pullman. The renovation of the Administration Building and grounds, however, could help spur project work north of 111th Street. Funding the Cottage Grove Avenue project and rebuilding Metra stations north of 111th Street, both of which are projects in the original Action Plan, will go a long way toward providing infrastructure improvements to connect north and south Pullman. There are vacant land parcels in north Pullman that could become neighborhood green spaces. For example, the Pullman Transportation Plan identified a series of open spaces fronting Cottage Grove Avenue that have “great potential to unify the Pullman neighborhood between 103rd and 115th Streets.” Further, these new green spaces should connect to Pullman parks and features in an interpretive cultural trail or intuitive pathway. Residents and visitors could learn about the Pullman story as they pass through these spaces.
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PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE
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CONNECT PULLMAN TO NEARBY NATURAL AREAS
Establishing Pullman National Monument and launching Positioning Pullman have helped spur interest in adjacent neighborhoods and attractions. There are six natural and cultural areas within a short distance of 111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue that provide tremendous opportunities to connect to Pullman by trail: • • • • • • •
Lake Calumet ....................................... 2.4 miles Big Marsh Park ..................................... 3.8 miles Beaubien Woods ................................ 4.2 miles Ton Farm UGRR Site ....................... 4.6 miles Indian Ridge Marsh ........................... 5.6 miles Wolf Lake State Park ........................ 6.7 miles Indiana Dunes National Park ......... 40 miles
It’s timely to work on community-to-nature trail connections between Pullman and Big Marsh and from Pullman south to Beaubien Woods and the Little Calumet River. A feasibility study was funded in summer 2019 to take a first look at a bike and pedestrian trail between Pullman, Lake Calumet and Big Marsh. The Port of Illinois is working on a master plan that will include land use and connectivity to adjacent areas. By prioritizing these trail connections, we would link urban residents to nature and use the power of the national park to elevate the region’s natural and cultural heritage.
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PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE ESTABLISH COORDINATED WAYFINDING
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Pullman National Monument was established in 2015 and there are still no systems implemented to guide visitors from highways or transit to the site, to points of interest within the national park, or from Pullman to nearby cultural destinations. With visitation growing, these systems must be developed and put in place. A comprehensive marketing effort will help maximize opening of the new Pullman Visitor Center in 2021 and raise awareness about Pullman and other cultural treasures. FROM THE HIGHWAY
WITHIN PULLMAN
Visitors to the national park who arrive by car may not even find Pullman if they are looking for highway signage to guide them! Destination signs must be put onto the key highways that visitors will use, including Interstates 94 and 57.
Identifiable signage, improved lighting, discernible gateways at major entrances, and easy-to-follow wayfinding cues are important elements when enhancing a destination such as Pullman. Today, some historic assets in the neighborhood are marked by placards with historical information, but many are in poor condition and are not linked by a unifying style. These signs should be coordinated.
Once off the highway, signage must be developed to guide drivers to parking areas and key historic assets like the visitor center and Hotel Florence. ON TRANSIT Visitors will also arrive to Pullman’s official gateway at 111th Street by transit. Trailblazing signs guiding people to transit stations and bus stops will help give the visitor confidence that they are navigating to and from the right transit stops. Signage at stations and on trains promoting that Pullman National Monument is accessible by bus and train will help drive more visitors to take transit and promote greater awareness of Pullman among commuters.
Technology should be explored as a primary navigation system for visitors once they are on foot within Pullman National Monument. Using apps and other wayfinding technology can reduce signage clutter and give the visitor depth of experience. PULLMAN TO OTHER DESTINATIONS There are many cultural destinations within about 10 miles of Pullman, including the DuSable Museum, Bronzeville/47th Street Blues District, the Obama Center, Marktown, Ton Farm Underground Railroad site and others. A coordinated wayfinding system would help visitors find other cultural tours and potentially extend their stay.
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IN APPRECIATION 2.0 PROJECT TEAM Lynn McClure, NPCA Zurich Esposito, AIA Chicago Richard Wilson, AS+GG, AIA Project Lead Edward Torrez, Bauer Latoza Studio Rob Reuland, SITE John Wirtz, Jacobs We are grateful for the participation of so many people who came up with the ideas contained in Positioning Pullman and Positioning Pullman 2.0. CREDITS Graphics and Renderings: AS+GG, NPCA Photos: AS+GG, Anice Haochlander, Forest Preserves of Cook County, J. Crocker, NPCA, Thomas Photographic Services and Warren Skalski
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Alisa Tilson, City of Chicago Allison Garwood Freedland, AIA Chicago Aly Grady, State of Illinois Amy Gauen, McGuire Igleski Associates Andrea Reed, Roseland Chamber of Commerce Andrea Terry, Bauer Latoza Studio Andrew Bullen, Friends of Pullman State Historic Site Angie Marks, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives Ann Alspaugh, Artspace Anne McGuire, McGuire Igleski Associates Anthony Beale, 9th Ward Alderman April Williams-Luster, Congresswoman Robin Kelley Arthur Pearson, Pullman Civic Organization Tyler Austin, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture Bill Harlow, National Park Service Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois Brad Huff, City of Chicago Brenda McGruder, City of Chicago Brenda Williams, Quinn Evans Architects Bryan Luke, Christopher Burke Engineering Christina Harris, Metropolitan Planning Council Christine Williams, Economist Clevan Tucker Jr., Roseland Heights Community Association Colin Deverell, National Parks Conservation Association Courtney Kashima, Muse Community and Design Dan Martin, Market & Feasibility Advisors David Doig, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives David Kralik, Metra David Smith, TYLin, City of Chicago David Beer, Historic Pullman Foundation David Peterson, National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum Ders Anderson, Openlands Despina Zouridis, Site Design Group Diane Banta, National Park Service Donald Higgins, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives Eleanor Gorski, City of Chicago
Ellen Stoner, Altus Works Eric Rogers, Chicago Architecture Center Erika Selke, City of Chicago Ernest Wong, Site Design Group Gerald Nichols, CTA Gia Biagi, Studio Gang Heather Mullins, RTA Jade Paul, Jacobs Jamie Simone, Sam Schwartz Engineering Jeff Jeno, Moody Nolan Jennifer Sandy, National Trust for Historic Preservation Jennifer Masengarb, Chicago Architecture Foundation Jennifer Henry, CTA Jennifer Bransfield, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives Jill DeCoursey, Bauer Latoza Studio Joan Pomeranc, AIA Chicago Jocelyn Moriarty, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture Joe Iacobucci, Sam Schwartz Engineering Joel Kerner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture John Wirtz, Jacobs Jon DeVries, Roosevelt University Josh Ellis, Metropolitan Planning Council Julie McGilvray, National Park Service Kareeshma Ali, Farr Associates Kathy Schneider, National Park Service (Retired) Kelsey Shipton, Altus Works Kris Lucius, Smith Group Larry Shure, City of Chicago Laura Young, Griskelis Young Harrell Laura Barghausen, Openlands Laura Verden, State of Illinois Linda Bullen, Pullman Resident Lindsay Bayley, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Lisa DiChiera, Landmarks Illinois London Walther, Chicago Park District Lorraine Brochu, Pullman Resident
Lynn Osmond, Chicago Architecture Center Mara Braspennix, Altus Works Marie Robinson, Pullman Wheelworks Residents Marilyn Engwall, City of Chicago Mark Igleski, McGuire Igleski Associates Mark de la Vergne, Sam Schwartz Engineering Mark Mesle, National Parks Conservation Association Marlise Fratinardo, CTA Martin Tuohy, State of Illinois Mary Brush, Brush Architects Michael Fus, Chicago Park District Mike Shymanski, Historic Pullman Foundation Mike Wagenbach, State of Illinois Nathan Hilmer, Site Design Group Paris Tyler, CTA Pat Brannon, Pullman Resident Patty Trap, National Park Service Paul Labovitz, National Park Service Paula Robinson, Black Metropolis Heritage Area Phil Lawrence, National Park Service Phillip Snorden, Neighborhood Housing Service Rafael Rosa, Student Conservation Association Rick Bryant, Congresswoman Robin Kelley Ryan Gann, Ross Barney Architects Sandra Washington, National Park Service (Retired) Saskia VenGendt, Method Schangwe Parker, Mercy Housing Steve Wilson, Gensler Sue Bennett, National Park Service Susan Hickey, Moody Nolan Tanya Cohn, Metra Todd Ravesloot, National Park Service Tom McMahon, Pullman Civic Organization Tom Shepherd, Southeast Environmental Task Force Yuxin Zheng, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture Wyatt Olstead, Pullman Civic Organization
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