Pullman House Project

10/20/2026

Step inside one of Pullman’s historic homes and experience the neighborhood on a more intimate scale. This beautifully preserved interior, with its rich woodwork, original floors and period furnishings, offers a glimpse of domestic life in the company town.

The Pullman House Project opens the doors to historic homes throughout the year, sharing the stories of the people who lived, worked and raised families in what is now Pullman National Historical Park. Our guided tours go beyond the architecture to explore the everyday lives that unfolded inside these rooms.

Come see Pullman from the inside and discover the history behind the front doors.

📸 Photo of Honeymoon Row from At Home in Chicago: A Living History of Domestic Architecture by Patrick F. Cannon, photography by James Caulfield.

10/19/2026

The skilled artisans hired by the Pullman Company to create the elaborate interiors of its luxurious railroad cars relied on specialized tools to perfect their craft. Among them was the mahl stick, a simple but essential tool that helped steady a painter’s hand while applying intricate decorative details. It also prevented an accidental “palm touchdown” that could ruin hours of painstaking work.

This remarkable scene was photographed at Pullman’s Detroit shops before 1880 by Jex Bardwell, the company’s Detroit photographer.

This image was inspired by the original historic photograph and recreated with slightly improved clarity to highlight its details while preserving the character and atmosphere of the original.

Learn more about the skilled workers and craftsmanship behind Pullman’s famous railroad cars on our guided tours. https://pullmanhouseproject.eventbrite.com

10/18/2026

This vintage photograph appears to show three individuals seated on the back porch steps of a Pullman home, likely in the early 20th century. The handwritten note at the top reads, “Mr & Mrs Stichler + Helen at Pullman,” giving us their names and linking them to the community, though their exact relationship to one another is not certain.

An older woman sits to the left in a patterned dress, her hands resting calmly in her lap. To the right, an older man with a full white beard and mustache wears a dark suit and bowler hat, leaning slightly forward with a steady, dignified presence. Standing between them on the step above is a young woman dressed in a light-colored blouse and long skirt, posed formally with her hands behind her back.
The simple wooden siding, narrow stairway, and modest porch railings are typical of the rear of Pullman homes, where everyday family life unfolded away from the more formal street-facing façades.

At the bottom of the steps, a cat stretches comfortably near a metal bowl, adding a warm and familiar domestic detail to the scene.

It’s a quiet glimpse of daily life in historic Pullman, capturing not just the architecture, but the people and small moments that shaped the neighborhood’s story.

Learn more on guided tours: https://pullmanhouseproject.eventbrite.com

10/18/2026

More than 30 workers line the side of a passenger car at the Pullman Car Works, attaching a roof section to its steel frame. The shift from wood to steel demanded new skills, but the work still depended on practiced hands. Workers had to position the heavy components, align the frame and fasten each section securely. John P. Van Vorst’s photograph captures a moment when craftsmanship and coordination turned a new method of construction into a finished car.

Image recreated from a photograph published in Don Horn’s “The Pullman Photographers,” Railroad Heritage, No. 7 (2003). Credits: Pullman Research Group, Pullman State Historic Site and Pullman-Museum.org.

Learn more on guided tours: https://pullmanhouseproject.eventbrite.com

10/15/2026

In 2018, the newel post inside the Pullman House Project’s Welcome Center at 605 E. 111th Street showed the wear of time. Today, after a careful restoration, it once again reflects the craftsmanship and character of this historic Pullman home.

Historic preservation is about more than saving a building’s exterior. Interior details such as staircases, woodwork and newel posts help tell the story of the people who built these homes and the families who lived in them. As the anchor of the staircase, this newel post provides structural support, but it also serves as a tangible connection to the home’s past. Preserving details like this allows visitors to experience the history of Pullman National Historical Park from the inside out.

10/14/2026

Step back to the 1880s at the Dunbar House in Pullman National Historical Park and discover how Thomas Dunbar and his family lived during Pullman’s early days.

When we restored the front parlor, we partnered with Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers to recreate its original elegance — installing handprinted wallpaper adorned with leafy vines, clematis, and chrysanthemum blossoms in shimmering gold, sage green, soft blue, cream, and russet. Tickets are available at PullmanatHome.org

10/13/2026

In July 1880, photographer Jex Bardwell captured the Pullman sleeping car Toltec on a transfer table at the company’s shops in Detroit, Michigan. The table let workers move cars sideways between tracks. Bardwell’s photograph preserves a moment from the years just before Pullman moved its carbuilding operations to Chicago.

This is a clearer recreation of the photograph published in Don Horn’s “The Pullman Photographers,” Railroad Heritage(2003). The article is available at Pullman-Museum.org.

10/12/2026

A glimpse inside a Pullman Palace Car, published in Harper’s Weekly in 1872. As the train rolled westward across the plains and toward the mountains, passengers traveled in remarkable comfort, reading, conversing and watching the changing American landscape through broad windows. What had once been an exhausting journey across the continent was becoming one defined by comfort, civility and even luxury.

10/09/2026

In 1893, Pullman photographer Wylie Dennison photographed the parlor car Santa Maria before it appeared in the company’s exhibit at Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition. His view draws us into a room furnished with tufted sofas, fringed chairs, curtains and an elaborately decorated ceiling, all details Pullman wanted visitors to see.
This is a clearer, colorized interpretation of the black-and-white photograph published in Don Horn’s “The Pullman Photographers” in Railroad Heritage (2003).

The colors are suggested, not documented. Photo credits: Pullman Research Group, Pullman State Historic Site and Pullman-Museum.org.

10/08/2026

Step inside the story of the Historic Pullman House Tour with longtime organizer and Pullman resident Cindy McMahon.

In this podcast interview with Alfonso Quiroz, Cindy explains how the tour gives visitors a rare opportunity to explore Pullman homes of different sizes and styles, from houses retaining their Victorian floor plans to residences thoughtfully adapted for modern life.

Cindy also shares her own history in Pullman. Her grandparents settled on Langley Avenue in 1928, beginning a family connection to the neighborhood that has continued for four generations. She first opened her home for the tour in 1986 and became involved in organizing it two years later.

Along the way, Cindy recalls the volunteers who bring the event together, the preservation projects supported by ticket sales and some memorable House Tour weekends involving snow, thunderstorms, power outages and even tours conducted by candlelight.

It is a personal look at the people, homes and community spirit behind one of Pullman’s most enduring traditions.

Pullman resident Cindy Mcmahon talks about the annual Historic Pullman House Tour. This interview was recorded on September 17, 2023 and posted on September 30, 2023.