Labor Day weekend 2021 saw the grand opening of the Pullman National Monument Visitor Center and surrounding factory grounds. The timing is poignant for this National Monument—Chicago’s first—as the site interprets stories of American industrialization, urban planning, labor, and civil rights. In fact, in 1894, factory workers here walked off the job in a massive strike that led to the national recognition of Labor Day.

In 1999, the Pullman Administration Building and Factory Complex were on our list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites and in 2014 we designated the site a National Treasure.

Grand opening festivities included guided tours, live performances, and interpretive programming. The new Visitor Center will highlight two key moments in American Labor History associated with the Pullman company including the 1894 Pullman Strike and Boycott, and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters union winning the first successful contract with a major company in 1937.

Read more about the grand opening festivities and Pullman's role in the creation of Labor Day in the Chicago Tribune.