I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3894 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource 

study of the Pullman Historic Site in Chicago, Illinois, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 3, 2012 

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

special resource study of the Pullman Historic Site in 

Chicago, Illinois, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pullman Historic Site 

5 National Park Service Study Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) The Historic Pullman District, built be9 tween the years of 1880 and 1884, was established 

10 by George M. Pullman, owner of the Pullman Palace 


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1 Car Company. Pullman envisioned an industrial 

2 town that provided employees with a model commu3 nity and suitable living conditions for workers and 

4 their families. The town, which consisted of over 

5 1,000 buildings and homes, was awarded ‘‘The 

6 World’s Most Perfect Town’’ at the International 

7 Hygienic and Pharmaceutical Exposition in 1896. 

8 (2) The Pullman factory site is a true symbol 

9 of the historic American struggle to achieve fair 

10 labor practices for the working class, with the origi11 nal factory serving as the catalyst for the first in12 dustry-wide strike in the United States. In the midst 

13 of economic depression in 1894, factory workers 

14 there initiated a strike to protest unsafe labor and 

15 reductions in pay that when taken up as a cause by 

16 the American Railway Union (ARU) crippled the en17 tire rail industry. The Pullman conceived strike con18 tinued even in the face of a federal injunction and 

19 Federal troops were sent to Chicago by President 

20 Grover Cleveland to end the strike. Efforts made by 

21 the Pullman workers set a national example for the 

22 ability of working Americans to change the existing 

23 system in favor of more just practices. 

24 (3) The Pullman Car Company plays an impor25 tant role in both American, African American and 


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1 early Civil Rights History through the legacy of the 

2 Pullman Porters, all black and many ex-slaves re3 ceiving paid work in a heavily discriminatory envi4 ronment immediately following the Civil War. These 

5 men, who served diligently between the 1870s and 

6 the 1960s, have been commended for their level of 

7 service and attention to detail, as well as their con8 tributions to the development of the black middle 

9 class. The information, ideas, and commerce they 

10 carried across the country helped to bring education 

11 and wealth to the black community, and their role 

12 in the historical image of the Pullman car is unmis13 takable. The struggles of A. Philip Randolph and 

14 the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first 

15 black union established in 1925, against discrimina16 tion and in support of just labor practices, helped 

17 lay the groundwork for the beginnings of the Civil 

18 Rights Movement. 

19 (4) The preservation of Pullman has been 

20 threatened by plans for demolition in 1960 and by 

21 a fire in 1998, which damaged the iconic clock-tower 

22 and surrounding manufacturing buildings. The res23 toration and preservation led by the diligent efforts 

24 of community organizations, foundations, non-profVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:15 Feb 03, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3894.IH H3894

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1 its, residents and the local and state government, 

2 were vital to the protection of the site. 

3 (5) Due to the Pullman’s historic and architec4 tural significance, the site is designated as— 

5 (A) a registered National Historic Land6 mark District; 

7 (B) an Illinois State Landmark; and 

8 (C) a City of Chicago Landmark district. 

9 SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 

10 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Interior shall con11 duct a special resource study of the historic Pullman site 

12 in Chicago, Illinois. 

13 (b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub14 section (a), the Secretary shall— 

15 (1) evaluate the national significance of the 

16 site; 

17 (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 

18 designating the site as a unit of the National Park 

19 System; 

20 (3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 

21 protection, and interpretation of the site by Federal, 

22 State, or local governmental entities, or private and 

23 nonprofit organizations; 


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1 (4) consult with interested Federal, State, or 

2 local governmental entities, private and nonprofit or3 ganizations, or any other interested individuals; 

4 (5) consider the appropriate management op5 tions needed to ensure the protection, preservation, 

6 and interpretation of the site; and 

7 (6) identify cost estimates for any Federal ac8 quisition, development, interpretation, operation, and 

9 maintenance associated with the alternatives. 

10 (c) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under 

11 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with sec12 tion 8 of National Park Service General Authorities Act 

13 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5). 

14 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

15 on which funds are first made available for the study 

16 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 

17 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep18 resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

19 Resources of the Senate a report containing the results 

20 of the study and any conclusions and recommendations of 

21 the Secretary. 

Æ 


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