Latest news with #HistoricPullmanFoundation
Chicago Tribune
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Pullman Railroad Days festival celebrates rail cars, workers in ‘the place where it happened'
Back when Joe Szabo was a Metra conductor, Pullman was one of his favorite stops on the Electric District Line because of the strong community there as well as its place in history. So after he retired, he knew he had to become part of it. In 2019 he became president of the Historic Pullman Foundation and then dreamed up the idea for Railroad Days. Now in its fourth year, this celebration of Pullman's train history will take place May 17 and 18. 'I was always captivated by this gorgeous community and wanted to understand more,' said Szabo, who now is the president emeritus of the Historic Pullman Foundation but is still the Pullman Railroad Days 2025 chairman. 'When I was able to understand what Pullman meant in history and the evolution of our nation, I couldn't resist getting involved. 'The goal was to create a national tourism event that really celebrated the railroad and industry heritage of Pullman … this is a place that changed America.' Szabo, a fifth-generation railroader, was appointed in 2009 by former President Barack Obama to lead the Federal Railroad Administration. His resume also includes a stint as Illinois state director for the United Transportation Union. The Railroad Days event at Pullman National Historical Park celebrates American railroad history and industrial innovation. There will be restored Pullman rail cars on display at the 111th Street Metra Electric station, in partnership with Metra and the American Association of Private Rail Car Owners. That includes a car built at Pullman in 1928 for the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad in Maine, which for 75 years was the rail home to every B&A executive, according to the Historic Pullman Foundation. The car was sold in 2003 to the Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad of New Hampshire, where it was officially named the 'Suitsme' because the executive who initially commissioned the car in 1928 was said to have exclaimed, 'It suits me!' Also on display will be the Promontory Point, which originally cruised through the Southland and beyond after being commissioned in 1953 by the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad for long distance passenger service before being sold several times and eventually landing with a private collector. Visitors also can tour the Menzies Vista, a dome lounge car built in 1955 for Union Pacific for its City of St. Louis train. In 1973 it was sold to Amtrak for use on its Auto Train, according to the foundation. The festival also will feature a model train extravaganza at the Historic Pullman Exhibit Hall, rides on a vintage CTA bus around the area as well as guided walking tours. New this year is a 100th anniversary celebration for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the nation's first Black labor union. A. Philip Randolph, the union's leader, will be inducted into the National Railroad Hall of Fame, and a gold medal will be presented to the Pullman National Historical Park during a reception May 15. The medal will then be displayed at the National Park Visitor Center. 'This is a part of history,' said Robert Montgomery, executive director of the Historic Pullman Foundation, the non-profit partner of the Pullman National Historical Park. 'Pullman and the company town shaped America. It definitely changed how people travelled through the country.' Montgomery said one of the foundation's goals is to get railcars back permanently, so the public can view them regularly. They hope to build a rail yard in front of the former Pullman factory, possibly having one car there and others stored nearby. One of Montgomery's favorite memories of last year's Railroad Days was seeing children riding on the Little Obie and Mighty Chessie replica trains. 'They really loved these two trains pulling people around,' he said. Going aboard trains from the 1950s and 1920s and seeing the differences between the ages was another perk for Montgomery and other employees and attendees. 'It's the luxury that was put into these cars, the use of space,' said Bart Darress, the foundation's communications director. 'To build these opulent spaces … it's something to behold.' Also at Railroad Days, the Bronzeville Black Metropolis National Heritage Area offers a trivia game about the daily duties of Pullman Porters. The Chicago Architecture Center will present architecture trivia with prizes and Pullman-themed coloring sheets for children. The Illinois Railway Museum will exhibit travel guides through the ages. And the South Suburban Genealogical & Historical Society and Library in Hazel Crest will present an exhibit about Pullman employee records. Al and Ray Quiroz, brothers and the last two Pullman Factory workers in the neighborhood, will show off Pullman worker's toolbox and other artifacts. Resident and Pullman historian Andy Bullen will showcase samples from the foundation's collections, including Pullman blankets, china, recipe cards, and correspondence to the Pullman Company from the 1890s to 1910s. The Newberry Library will have personnel records visitors can check out for relatives who were Pullman porters, maids, conductors and shop workers. 'A lot of people have a connection to this throughout the country and Chicago,' noted Darress. PullmanArts at the Block House Gallery will also have an exhibit. There will be local food, too, including hot dogs and gelato. The event showcases the Pullman National Historical Park, which encompasses 103rd Street to 115th Street, the community, factory site, the official Pullman Historical National Park Service Visitor Center, historic Clock Tower Building and Hotel Florence, among other sites. Szabo said he liked to think of Pullman as 'the place where it happened,' taking a line from the musical 'Hamilton.' 'Other communities can have railroad celebrations, but we're the only one at a national place and the place where it happened, where America was transformed,' said Szabo. Railroad Days is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 17 and 18 at 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Early Bird tickets are $25, $10 off the regular price and can be reserved at
Chicago Tribune
14-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Pullman community steps on the gas to reopen historic Greenstone Church
As a child, Cindy McMahon remembers walking by Greenstone Church in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood and stopping in to sit and enjoy its splendor. The place became so important to her that she and her husband Tom even chose the historic church for their 1983 wedding ceremony, even though the church is United Methodist and they are Catholic. But these days the church is in disrepair and has been closed for two years because the gas bill could not be paid and the heat turned off. So McMahon and the Pullman community, who share her love for the church in Historical Pullman National Park, have banded together to pay the roughly $20,000 bill and reopen the church. They've raised $14,000 from a GoFundMe campaign and about $4,000 more from private donations, the Historic Pullman Foundation and the Pullman Civic Organization. Another donation just came in from Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives. 'The church was always very welcoming to the community,' McMahon said recently, noting there are only about 30 parishioners, but many neighbors who are not official members, like she and her husband, consider it their own. 'It's the community-adopted church,' she said. McMahon, who is retired from a job at the Illinois Secretary of State's office, still works full time as a volunteer for community causes — leading fundraising campaigns, co-hosting the Annual Pullman Historic House Tours and acting as treasurer of the Historic Pullman Foundation, where she's been a board member for years. A lifelong Pullman resident, McMahon has had plenty of fundraising help for the campaign, including fellow Pullman proponents James Badali and Nino Alfonso, who have been getting the word out on social media. Badali is a resident and volunteer, and Alfonso grew up in Pullman but now lives in New York, though he still has deep roots in the neighborhood. His father and uncle — the only two remaining rail car workers in the neighborhood — still live there. Greenstone Church has a central place in Pullman history. 'It's magnificent,' said Badali. Industrialist George Pullman knew it played a crucial part in the neighborhood he founded, saying it was built to 'complete the scene.' The church has a 92-foot green steeple, which can be seen throughout the neighborhood and from the nearby Metra station, a circular stained glass rose window, and a huge Steere and Turner organ — one of the few remaining in Chicago. The altar and pews are made from cherry wood. But the lack of heat and fluctuating temperatures have taken a toll on the organ and building. The community holds meetings in the church along with choir concerts, and a local Boy Scout Troop meets there. There are also dinners held in front of the church to help raise money for it. Those are some of the reasons the community wants to save it. 'This community has always been full of fighters — and this is just the latest chapter,' said Alfonso. 'Back in 1960, when the neighborhood was threatened with demolition, hundreds of residents gathered — ironically in the Greenstone Church — to take a stand against developers. And they won. 'That victory paved the way for Pullman to become Chicago's first National Park. Then in 1975, the community rallied once more to save the Hotel Florence,' said Alfonso. He said that passion was 'in our DNA.' Rodrick Lewis and fellow resident and girlfriend Arlene Echols have donated heavily to the fundraiser. He said he remembers the neighborhood worshiping in front of the church during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the one safe place they could gather. 'The community recognizes it as always being open,' said Lewis. We look at it as more of a community center and church and even though we're not Methodist, we all view that church as our church. 'It's just a part of the family,' said Lewis, a retired accountant. 'In the summer with the sunlight going through (the rose window), it just looks like a kaleidoscope of colors.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Push to save Chicago's historic Greenstone Church gains momentum
The Brief The Greenstone Church, a key landmark in Pullman National Historical Park, is in urgent need of preservation. The church has no heat or electricity due to more than $10,000 in unpaid utility bills. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched with a $20,000 goal to restore utilities and make critical repairs. CHICAGO - A historic piece of Chicago's Pullman neighborhood is at risk of falling into disrepair, and supporters are rallying to save it. The Greenstone Church, a longtime cornerstone of the Pullman National Historical Park, is facing urgent preservation needs, with a lack of climate control threatening its historic organ and carved wood panels. What we know With over $10,000 in unpaid utility bills, the Greenstone Church has been left without heat or electricity, putting the landmark at risk of irreversible damage. A GoFundMe campaign, organized by the Historic Pullman Foundation, has been launched to restore essential services and fund critical repairs. Cindy McMahon, a volunteer with the Historic Pullman Foundation, emphasized the church's unique history. "It was non-denominational. There was no cross at the top of the steeple—just a decorative finial—because George Pullman did not want to restrict what religious denominations would rent from him at the time. Over time, once the properties got divested from the Pullman Company, the church became a Methodist church," McMahon explained. McMahon, who admired the church's architecture as a child and was married there in 1983, is among those advocating for its preservation. What you can do The GoFundMe campaign aims to raise $20,000 to restore heat and electricity. As of Monday afternoon, nearly $6,500 has been raised. Organizers are urging the public to contribute to help save the historic church before it's too late. What's next If enough funds are raised, the money will go toward restoring utilities and repairing the heating system, preventing further damage to the structure. Advocates say the church's survival depends on community support. The Source Historic Pullman Foundation, Cindy McMahon.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Pullman workers reflect on park's impact 10 years later
The Brief The Pullman National Monument was established 10 years ago by former President Barack Obama. Two former Pullman workers, Ray and Al Quiroz, shared their memories of working and living in the historic neighborhood. The park's designation has brought more than $400 million in development to the area. CHICAGO - Chicago's only national park is celebrating a milestone this month. The Pullman National Monument, designated by former President Barack Obama in 2014, has now been part of the National Park Service for 10 years. What we know On Wednesday, Ray Quiroz, 86, and his brother Al Quiroz, 88—two of the last living Pullman Company employees still residing in the neighborhood—reflected on the park's significance. "I loved working at Pullman. I loved all the people I worked with," Ray said. Al added, "We're the last ones to live in Pullman that worked in Pullman Standard." The brothers have lived in Pullman their entire lives, growing up in what was once a company town for the Pullman Railroad Car Company. Both worked at the factory from 1959 until its closure in 1981. Al still remembers learning from veteran workers. "They taught me a lot of things, especially the old timers," he said. When Obama signed the legislation turning the Pullman property over to the National Park Service, Al was invited to witness the moment. Since then, the park has helped drive more than $400 million in new development to the area. "Now it's a national landmark, and people are coming from all over the country to visit Pullman," Al said. The Quiroz brothers also played a role in preserving Pullman's history. Before the factory shut down, Al salvaged artifacts—including an electric train bell—from the trash. "As a person who lived in Pullman, born and raised in Pullman, I said to myself, this is my history," he said. What's next To mark the anniversary, the Historic Pullman Foundation has put up a billboard along the Kennedy Expressway at North Avenue, reminding Chicagoans of the national landmark in their own backyard. "The thing we're hoping to achieve is to heighten the awareness of a national park being in the City of Chicago and the significant stories associated with that national park," said Mike Shymanski of the Historic Pullman Foundation. And if you visit the park, you just might run into Ray and Al. "I got a lot of stories to tell you about Pullman," Al said with a laugh. "You give me a glass of wine and I'll tell you the whole thing."
CBS News
20-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Chicago's Pullman Historic District marks 10 years as part of National Park Service
This week, the historic community of Pullman on Chicago's Far South Side is celebrating 10 years of being part of the National Park Service. Its history not only preserved through its architecture and its role in the labor movement, but by two brothers who worked and continue to live in the onetime industrial town. Brothers Al and Ray Qurioz may not consider themselves historians, but by most standards, they are. Al, 88, and Ray, 86, are former workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company — one of the first planned industrial communities that specialized in train car manufacturing in the United States. "When we started to work there, we learned how the cars were built," said Al Quiroz. Workers and their families both worked and lived on the grounds, which had a factory and its own streets and housing. "It was on-the-job training," said Ray Quiroz. "I just loved it." Today, the two are the last remaining workers to reside in the neighborhood. They not only have held on to their memories, but also rare artifacts from the era of the Pullman Palace Car Company. These items include century-old blueprints, train car memorabilia, and an electric bell once used to alert riders. The brothers saved all these items after being ordered by supervisors to throw them out. "The boss saw me and said, 'Ray, whatever is up there on the second floor, get rid of it,'" said Ray Quiroz. But Al saw it differently. "I'm a third generation of building railroad cars," Al Quiroz said. "This is my history." Thanks to the brothers, that history now preserved — and helping tell the story about Chicago's Far South Side Pullman neighborhood, where a renaissance of sorts is underway. Ten years after President Obama designated the Pullman Historic District as part of the National Park System, the area has seen nearly $500 million in economic development. Mike Shymanski is founding member of the Historic Pullman Foundation. "Every time somebody says a negative thing about the South Side, you should be prepared about four positive things," Shymanski said, "and one of the positive things is the national park." As businesses continue to flock to the area, locals hope it translates to foot traffic — and inquisitive minds coming to visit. "I came here for coffee and found some history," Shymanski said he hopes to hear people say. For the Quiroz brothers, they hope the spotlight will continue to shine on the Pullman and their long-lasting contributions. "It's about all the trouble we had, and all the problems we solved," said Al Quiroz. A brief history of the Pullman Company and historic district George M. Pullman, president of the Pullman Palace Car Company, had construction begun for his company town in the 1880s. The town of over 1,000 homes and public buildings was completed in 1884, according to the Historic Pullman Foundation. The City of Chicago annexed Hyde Park Township — which included all of the South Side east of State Street and south of Pershing Road — in 1889. Most Pullman residents voted against the annexation, and the Pullman Land Association continued to manage town properties despite the annexation, according to the foundation. In 1894, the Pullman Palace Car Company was the site of one of the most historically notable strikes in American history. The company had lowered wages in response to a drop in demand for train cars amid an economic depression in 1893, but the rents the company charged remained the same. Pullman himself refused to meet with workers and ordered them fired — leading to a strike that ended up paralyzing most railroads west of Detroit until it ended violently with the intervention of federal troops, according to the Historic Pullman Foundation. George M. Pullman died in 1897, and the following year, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered the Pullman Company to sell all its properties not used for industry — including the company residences. But this did not happen until 1907, with residents being given the first option to purchase their rented homes. Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln, became president of the Pullman Palace Car Company in 1901, and served in that role for 10 years. In 1925, labor organizer A. Phillip Randolph formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The National Park Service notes that at the time, porters made up 44% of the Pullman workforce, and Pullman was the largest employer of Black Americans in the country. After years of downsizing and consolidation of its factories, and all operations Pullman Company was dissolved on Jan. 1, 1969 — though it maintained a central office staff to wind down affairs and handle a lawsuit until 1981, according to the Newberry Library. Also in 1969, the Pullman district received State of Illinois landmark status. Today, the Pullman clock tower still stands majestically at 11057 S. Cottage Grove Ave., though what stands today is much newer than it looks. Back in December 1998, an arson fire gutted the building and destroyed the tower and clock, and a new tower and clock were completed in 2005. A 1910 factory building on the Pullman site also burned down in the 1998 fire. On Feb. 19, 2015, President Obama designated the Pullman Historic District a National Monument that is now part of the National Park Service.
