DE&I Field Trip: Lee Bey & the National Park Service Tour of Pullman National Monument

This past Friday, June 11^th, Epstein's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) group sponsored its first in-person event since January 2020, a tour of Chicago’s historic Pullman National Monument. The tour was led by architectural critic and historian, Lee Bey, and Teri Gage of the National Park Service.

Lee and Teri gave great insights into Pullman, which was designed and built from 1880–1898 by industrialist George Pullman as a total planned community to attract the most skilled workforce for Pullman’s production needs. Specifically, the attendees got details on structures like the Queen Anne style Hotel Florence, an inside look at the restoration of the Historic Pullman Visitor Center, the Romanesque Market Hall Square, the visually-stunning Greenstone Church as well as great social commentary on a number of Pullman’s labor, race and equity issues that impacted the past and have lingering influences on the present.

This nearly two-hour tour was a true eye-opener for attendees who haven’t visited Pullman, which was designated a National Monument in 2015, and was a great glimpse into the history of the neighborhood, which is really a hidden gem in Chicago.

Thanks go out to Lee and Teri for being so generous with their time and such wonderful guides into this significant part of Chicago’s past, present and future.

Above photos in order: Lee Bay; Teri Gage; Hotel Florence; Pullman Visitor Center; Pullman Visitor Center; Pullman Visitor Center; Market Square; Greenwood Church; Tour Group