The Pullman Historic District is not resting on its laurels after President Obama designated it a National Monument in February – quite the opposite! In the past month, two separate planning workshops convened to look ahead at the community’s future.

This past week, the “Positioning Pullman” workshop challenged architects, planners, economists, educators, preservationists, and community members to think about what’s next for Pullman. The “collaborative ideas workshop” was co-hosted by the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the National Parks Conservation Association. National Trust staff participated as “Alliance Partners” in the three-day intensive exercise, which culminated with an Open House to showcase the work of four teams focusing on key elements of the community’s future: access and connections, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, community development, and visitor experience.

Many of the ideas and concepts developed during the workshop will soon be put to use for a variety of planning efforts, including collaboration with the City of Chicago on enhancements to Pullman’s transportation infrastructure and integration with the National Park Service’s (NPS) park planning efforts. The resulting designs should be available online within the next several months for continued discussion and refinement.

And following on from last month’s Foundation Planning Workshop, the NPS is also inviting comment from the public as they develop the management plan for the new Pullman National Monument. Visit the NPS website to share your thoughts.

Over the past several years, thousands of National Trust members and friends have shown their support for this unique historic community. As Pullman moves on to a new phase in its long and storied history, we hope you will remain involved – and stop by for a visit to Chicago’s first National Park! Pullman has been one of Chicago’s best kept secrets for many years, but those days are numbered – the word is getting out, and big things are ahead for this National Treasure!

Show your support for other National Treasures on our nation’s public lands, like the Painted Desert Community Complex and Ancestral Places of Southeast Utah.