Pullman Pushman

Okay, so tonight I will be attending the party for the Encyclopedia of Chicago, it's open to the public and it's at Harold Washington Library...kinda looking forward to that.

Before I begin with Mr. Pullman, will someone please tell me what is so hard about understanding the idea of "personal space"? I'm in Bank One plaza today, having a lovely lunch in the lovely sunshine, I'm eating and reading and enjoying my own little hour to myself. And two dudes come and sit RIGHT NEXT to me. Now, we know that Bank One plaza is huge and indeed, there is no reason why one needs to infringe on the Bank One plaza rights of another. I got up and moved after said dude lost his plastic bag and didn't go get it. Ergh.

Okay, so Mr. Pullman, well known for his railroad cars and for starting the neighborhood of Pullman here in our very city.

He originally was the one who figured out how to jack up the buildings to build our new sewer system and the brilliant one who decided that people would indeed pay for luxury if it was available to them.

During the 1880's while the meatpacking district was going full swing and men were sticking their feet into dead cows to keep warm, Pullman had started his luxury railcar business on the South Side. He needed skilled laborers as opposed to Phillip Armour's meatpacking plant and for that reason built Pullman. He didn't want his laborers drinking and carousing and he believed that labor would work harder and faster if they had access to a clean working place, a clean neighborhood with culture, theater and art. What started out as brilliance soon turned into a tyranny. Everyone who lived in Pullman rented, not one of his employees owned their own house. They had their own newspaper and one saloon, where the prices were so exorbitant that even his most affluent employees didn't go in there. Outside of Pullman the city was falling apart while fighting with the labor unions, and Pullman just kept his people insulated and alone. But soon enough of course, the people started to fight back and started buying houses out of the neighborhood, because they wanted to choose their lives instead of having their lives chosen for them.

I visited Pullman once in jr. high for a "chicago project" but haven't been back in that neighborhood since. What I find I need to do now is actually get my butt out to these neighborhoods and see them for myself. I also want to check out Bridgeport and the Back of the Yards.

Wish me luck on my Chicago Trivia tonight.

IS ANYONE READING THIS BLOG?

Just curious.