Pullman Neighborhood Celebrates Groundbreaking for New National Monument

Pullman Neighborhood Celebrates Groundbreaking for New National Monument
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CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- This Labor Day marked the final phase of work to begin on the Pullman National Monument.

City, state and federal leaders broke ground at the former Pullman Palace Car Company on South Cottage Grove.

“We’re not just breaking ground on a historic site, we’re also laying the foundation for preserving our country’s storied history of labor and civil rights activism, where Chicago played a central role," said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

The Pullman campus was designated as a national monument by former President Barack Obama in 2015.

The $34 million renovations include a new visitors center slated to open next year. It will include historical exhibits recounting Pullman's history, including the 1894 Pullman Strike which eventually led to the designation of Labor Day as a federal holiday.
 
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City leaders say the national monument is the latest milestone in revitalizing the Pullman neighborhood.

“Today’s grand gem is to break ground on our national monument so we can get this place landscaped and we can get this building open so we can start attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to our community," said 9th ward Alderman Anthony Beale.

Lightfoot said when the site is fully open it will create no less than 1,500 jobs.

Other milestones include Amazon and SC Johnson, which will be opening new facilities in Pullman this fall.