Christmas 1962: The Pullman Company Clock Tower and Administration Buildings

Chicago, IL

The name “Pullman” means many things to different people. It is synonymous with the Railroad Sleeping Car, and the first class rail travel by day or night. To the students of Labor Relations, it is tied with the tragic “Pullman Strike of 1894.” To lawyers, bankers, and the believers in big government, it is an example of too much centralization of financial power that resulted in court action to force the Pullman Company to dispose of property not used for industrial purposes.

The Pullman factory was built in the early 1880s and became central to the manufacturing and production of George Pullman’s luxury railroad passenger cars. The factory complex was a part of Pullman’s vision for an all-inclusive, live-work community for his employees. The Clock Tower and Administration Building was the center of this tremendous complex.

After a devastating fire in 1998, the State of Illinois stabilized the North Factory and reconstructed the shell of the Clock Tower Administration Building. The Turners’ full research on the Pullman company buildings is accessible in their Christmas 1962 note, which was enclosed inside the card.

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