Pullman
Walking with the dead
The exposed rafters of the old Pullman Railcar factory looked ominous against the gray sky. But across the street, artist Linda Bullen welcomed visitors into her warm and colorful home for a celebration of Día de los Muertos. Bullen, an artist, originally became interested in the Mexican-Catholic tradition through an admiration of its art. »
A dream that I can speak to
“You have no idea how bad it really was—you’re just seeing a film.” As she spoke, the blonde filmgoer stood and motioned to the projection screen, her wide eyes flitting over the black and white faces surrounding her. »
Chicago’s Heartland
A tall man from Mississippi stands in the doorway to his little house near 95th and Colfax. Across the tracks from Lake Calumet and a couple miles from the Indiana-Illinois border, he invites our 44-person group in with an enthusiastic wave. The man’s name is Travis, and he is a visual artist, musician, Vietnam... »
Next Stop: The future of the CTA on the South Side
Chicago’s first elevated train went into operation in 1892, and since then the system has been constantly shifting. Today, few remember how it looked at its peak, before the formation of the CTA in 1947 out of the privately owned Chicago Rapid Transit Company and Chicago Surface Lines. Since the consolidation, the CTA’s rail... »
Pullman’s Porters: A new exhibit at the Hotel Florence looks back on the everyday struggles of Chicago’s famous African-American workers
In 1916 the Society for the Prevention of Calling Sleeping Car Porters “George” (SPCSCPG) was founded by a wealthy Chicagoan, George William Dulany, Jr. Over the following two decades the society’s ranks swelled to over 30,000 people, all named George and including French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, George Herman “Babe” Ruth, and King George... »
