Robert Montgomery and his colleagues at the Historic Pullman Foundation have some big plans for the neighborhood. They’re charged with promoting, preserving and improving an area steeped in history and architecture, but luckily they have lots of partners.
The friends group to the Pullman National Historical Park, the foundation is part of a coalition of groups charged with showcasing and revitalizing the Pullman area, along with the National Park Service, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Pullman House Project, the Illinois Labor History Society, the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum, Historic Pullman Empowerment Organization and the Pullman Civic Organization.
Fundraising won’t be the only challenge for Montgomery, Pullman Historic Foundation’s new executive director who took over from Julian Jackson. He also has to retain and create new relationships with neighboring residents as well as would-be visitors. Pullman’s boundaries are roughly 103rd Street to 115th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue to the Canadian National railroad tracks.
Among the projects on the slate are restoring the second and third floors of the Clock Tower and Administration Building to make room for more education programs and community engagement, bringing Pullman railcars back to the factory site, restoring and re-opening Hotel Florence and helping support the restoration of neighborhood homes.
Residents want a say in the future of this neighborhood, explained Montgomery, who has two degrees in urban planning and has worked for nonprofits, including most recently the Urban Muslim Minority Alliance in Waukegan. He grew up in nearby Rosemoor, where he still lives, which gives him a special tie to Pullman and his job.
“One of the things that makes a community vibrant is being able to attract other people to your community to make money,” he said. “As we develop that plot (the remnants of the former Pullman factory site) into more of a museum, more and more people are going to come down here, sort of in the same vein as if they were going to the Museum of Science and Industry.
“From our perspective, obviously, we’re from the side of ‘Let’s build this up,’ but we also have to keep our relationship with the residents who will say, ‘No let’s not,’” he said.
Another challenge will be drawing donors, who may know little about the area and its benefits, he said.
”We’re in the city of Chicago and we’re trying to appeal to Chicagoans but we can’t even get into the conversation—the movers and shakers of this city are all downtown,” said Montgomery. “The media that informs them doesn’t consider this part of the city.”
Sitting in his office in one of Pullman’s historic buildings that once was a boarding house for single men who worked at the Pullman factory, he remembered his childhood “biking and skateboarding” with friends through the area. One neighborhood seemed to flow into another for him and his friends.
He moved back to his family home in Rosemoor several years ago when he and his sister inherited it from their mother. But he’s always loved the area.
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“To be able to live here and work here is a blessing,” said Montgomery. “It seems like everyone knows each other because there are a lot of people involved in making this a community. That’s a lost art in the city of Chicago.”
Rebecca Conant, director of Programs, Visitor Experience and Volunteers, who works closely with Montgomery, said his long association with the area is an asset.
“I’m excited to see him bring that experience to Pullman, particularly in terms of bringing attention to the Park and Historic District, and in terms of reaching out and strengthening connections here in Pullman and also with the surrounding communities,” Conant said.
Conant, who moved to Pullman several years ago, said there was a lot to like about it.
“People look at each other and say hello on the street. There is a local expression, ‘being Pullmaned.’ It happens when a five-minute walk takes an hour because people will stop and talk,” she said.
Terri M. Gage, superintendent of Pullman National Historical Park said it was “really cool” that Montgomery is from the area and he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his previous work with nonprofits.
She pointed out another important goal is to help support the upkeep and restoration of historical homes in the neighborhood, offering seminars that teach residents how to repair and maintain their windows and do masonry work on their homes.
“The history is absolutely amazing,” said Gage, who helped complete the recent management plan. “When you walk through the neighborhood, it feels like it’s a special place — the way it was designed. Then when you interact with the people, you understand how much they care about their neighborhood.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.