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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pullman Historic Site 
National Park Service Study Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) The Historic Pullman District, built be-
tween the years of 1880 and 1884, was established 
by George M. Pullman, owner of the Pullman Palace 
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Car Company. Pullman envisioned an industrial 
town that provided employees with a model commu-
nity and suitable living conditions for workers and 
their families. The town, which consisted of over 
1,000 buildings and homes, was awarded ‘‘The 
World’s Most Perfect Town’’ at the International 
Hygienic and Pharmaceutical Exposition in 1896. 
(2) The Pullman factory site is a true symbol 
of the historic American struggle to achieve fair 
labor practices for the working class, with the origi-
nal factory serving as the catalyst for the first in-
dustry-wide strike in the United States. In the midst 
of economic depression in 1894, factory workers 
there initiated a strike to protest unsafe labor and 
reductions in pay that when taken up as a cause by 
the American Railway Union (ARU) crippled the en-
tire rail industry. The Pullman conceived strike con-
tinued even in the face of a federal injunction and 
Federal troops were sent to Chicago by President 
Grover Cleveland to end the strike. Efforts made by 
the Pullman workers set a national example for the 
ability of working Americans to change the existing 
system in favor of more just practices. 
(3) The Pullman Car Company plays an impor-
tant role in both American, African American and 
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early Civil Rights History through the legacy of the 
Pullman Porters, all black and many ex-slaves re-
ceiving paid work in a heavily discriminatory envi-
ronment immediately following the Civil War. These 
men, who served diligently between the 1870s and 
the 1960s, have been commended for their level of 
service and attention to detail, as well as their con-
tributions to the development of the black middle 
class. The information, ideas, and commerce they 
carried across the country helped to bring education 
and wealth to the black community, and their role 
in the historical image of the Pullman car is unmis-
takable. The struggles of A. Philip Randolph and 
the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first 
black union established in 1925, against discrimina-
tion and in support of just labor practices, helped 
lay the groundwork for the beginnings of the Civil 
Rights Movement. 
(4) The preservation of Pullman has been 
threatened by plans for demolition in 1960 and by 
a fire in 1998, which damaged the iconic clock-tower 
and surrounding manufacturing buildings. The res-
toration and preservation led by the diligent efforts 
of community organizations, foundations, non-prof-
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its, residents and the local and state government, 
were vital to the protection of the site. 
(5) Due to the Pullman’s historic and architec-
tural significance, the site is designated as— 
(A) a registered National Historic Land-
mark District; 
(B) an Illinois State Landmark; and 
(C) a City of Chicago Landmark district. 
SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Interior shall con-
duct a special resource study of the historic Pullman site 
in Chicago, Illinois. 
(b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall— 
(1) evaluate the national significance of the 
site; 
(2) determine the suitability and feasibility of 
designating the site as a unit of the National Park 
System; 
(3) consider other alternatives for preservation, 
protection, and interpretation of the site by Federal, 
State, or local governmental entities, or private and 
nonprofit organizations; 
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(4) consult with interested Federal, State, or 
local governmental entities, private and nonprofit or-
ganizations, or any other interested individuals; 
(5) consider the appropriate management op-
tions needed to ensure the protection, preservation, 
and interpretation of the site; and 
(6) identify cost estimates for any Federal ac-
quisition, development, interpretation, operation, and 
maintenance associated with the alternatives. 
(c) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under 
subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with sec-
tion 8 of National Park Service General Authorities Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1a–5). 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
on which funds are first made available for the study 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate a report containing the results 
of the study and any conclusions and recommendations of 
the Secretary. 
Æ 
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