Pullman National Historical Park

Pullman is a planned industrial town built in the 1880s by railroad sleeping car magnate George Pullman, who believed that providing workers with clean housing, parks, a library, and a theatre would make them more productive and less inclined to unionise. It didn't work — the Pullman Strike of 1894, triggered by wage cuts during a recession while rents in company housing stayed the same, became one of the most significant labour disputes in American history and led directly to the creation of Labour Day as a federal holiday.

The town itself, now a National Historical Park and a South Side neighbourhood, is remarkably well-preserved. The Hotel Florence (named after Pullman's daughter), the Market Hall, the Administration Building, and rows of worker housing in alternating red brick patterns survive largely intact, creating a complete 1880s industrial landscape that looks like a film set. The visitor centre, in the restored Administration Building, tells the story of Pullman's utopian vision, its spectacular failure, and its lasting impact on American labour law.

Getting to Pullman requires the Metra train to 111th Street (about 30 minutes from downtown), which means most tourists don't bother. That's a shame, because the neighbourhood — which also has significant African American history, including its role in the development of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters — tells a story about race, class, and power in industrial America that you won't find in any downtown museum.