EP 5: Pullman's Past, Present, and Future

05/17/16 • 65 min

The neighborhood of Pullman on Chicago's far South Side is a crucible of architectural, labor, industrial, and civil rights history. It's also a national monument, with big plans for renovation and redevelopment on the horizon. Commissioned by railroad magnate George Pullman in 1880 and designed by Solon Beman, Pullman was an idyllic workers utopia. . . for a few years, until a strike sparked what became the modern labor movement. Pullman and his architect looked to design and city planning to raise his bottom line and banish labor unrest from his company. It didn't work, but the result is one of Chicago's most singular neighborhoods.

On hand to talk hosts Zach Mortice and Newcity Design Editor Ben Schulman through the next chapter of Pullman's history is Mike Shymanski, President of the Historic Pullman Foundation, and Richard Wilson, City Design Director for Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and project lead for the Positioning Pullman campaign. Special thanks to recording studio engineer Tim Joyce.

Previous Episode

EP 4: Architecture is Hilarious

Architecture requires massive amounts of money, time, and effort to come together. It's serious business. Most of the time. But here in Chicago there are a handful of designers that work humor into their architecture whenever they can, as a way to satirize the practice of architecture and the cultures that surround it, or as a way to invite new people into the conversation. For A Lot You Got to Holler's fourth episode, we're joined by Stewart Hicks and Allison Newmeyer of Design with Company, as well as Ania Jaworska and artist/musician/designer Beverly Fresh. Free with each download: Design with Company's theme park ride of Midwestern folkways, Ania Jaworska's peerless knowledge of Polish interior design folk tales, and Beverly Fresh's proposal for the Graham Foundation bookstore that's truly, truly ahead of its time. Special thanks to recording studio engineer Tim Joyce and Nick Cage's pores.

Next Episode

EP 6: Designing the Machinery of Urbanism with Carol Ross Barney

Architecture is concert halls, museums, theaters, and all of our temples of high culture. But it's also train stations, sewer drains, and the seemingly anonymous infrastructure that makes the city work. Few architects understand how to elevate this everyday machinery of urbanism as well as Chicago's own Carol Ross Barney. She chats with Newcity design editor Ben Schulman and architectural journalist Zach Mortice about the Chicago Riverwalk, the 606, the CTA, and the future of Chicago. Special thanks to recording studio engineer Tim Joyce. Please rate and review us on iTunes!