Historic Pullman Market Hall
The historic Market Hall in the Pullman landmark district of Chicago was built as an original feature of George Pullman's famous factory town of 1880, but in a conventional city square rather than the present Italianate "circle". Just twelve years after construction, the original Market Square Hall burned in a fire, so Pullman's architect Solon S. Beman was again commissioned for an 1893 reboot. Mr. Pullman was a master of showmanship, and after having built a reputation on the quality of life in his town, he needed to bring his A game. The first Market Hall contained sixteen stalls for fresh meats, produce and other market goods. The new building featured twelve stores on the first floor and a banquet hall and meeting rooms on the upper two floors. Four Romanesque colonnaded buildings surrounding the Market Hall were built for use by the Pullman Company to house guests visiting the World's Fair in nearby Hyde Park. Those buildings are now privately owned. In the late 1930s, the Market Hall's upper floors were removed, reducing it to a one-story structure and brick walls replaced the original glass sidewalls. In 1973 another fire gutted the remaining market building. The Historic Pullman Foundation [HPF], chartered as a vehicle to acquire and restore important public buildings within the Pullman Historic District, purchased the Market Hall in 1974 to save it from demolition. The HPF has completed several reuse studies to help determine appropriate directions for renovation and restoration of this distinctive building. In 1999 work began on removal of the roof, first floor, interior fire damage and excess debris in the basement. In 2007 the City of Chicago implemented streetscape improvements around Market Hall, in which sidewalks, crosswalks and lighting were upgraded. Maintenance and stabilization of the Market Hall has taken precedence over restoration; thus, the project is stalled without the means for redevelopment and eventual restoration. This building is an integral part of a larger preservation story: that of the town of Pullman, which was designated a city, state and federal Landmark in the 1970s, and which has been preserved and restored largely by individuals through private funding. Grass-roots community groups and preservation-minded residents work to bring the historic homes back to life, but this remaining piece of the Pullman puzzle has fallen through the cracks. Private interest in Market Hall must be secured to fulfill the HPF's mission to facilitate the preservation and restoration of this property. The demographic makeup of the neighborhood would support dining, retail and service amenities (presently almost non-existent), but investor relationships must be cultivated. $10,000 would go a long way toward planning and development for this most unique and important structure, and ultimately for the historic town of Pullman (named "World's Most Perfect Town" at the Prague International Hygienic and Pharmaceutical Exposition of 1896).
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