“Nearly three dozen historic Pullman homes that have sat vacant for decades are now being restored as part of a collaboration that includes the city and county.
“The effort to restore the homes got a boost in July when the City Council approved a $900,000 grant. The project is a joint effort between the city, the Cook County Land Bank, the Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives nonprofit and a private developer.
“They’re expected to sell for $125,000-$150,000 each, according to Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, a nonprofit which works to coordinate resources and bring development projects to under-resourced neighborhoods.
“The row houses, the last unoccupied historic homes in North Pullman, will maintain their exteriors, which were built as worker housing for George Pullman’s railroad company. Their interiors will be completely rehabbed, with new furnaces, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical and appliances.
“Last year, after City Council approved the $900,000 grant, Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara said the project is a way to preserve the homes and get them into the hands of first-time homeowners.
“‘Built more than 100 years ago but left to languish in the late 1990s, like Pullman itself, the housing has ‘good bones,’ is sturdy and ready to meet the housing needs of this century’s occupants,’ Novara said in a statement.
“With the rehab of these homes, more than 70 historic Pullman homes will have been restored in the past six years.
“The homes will be within walking distance of the Pullman National Monument site and other amenities in the neighborhood, such as the One Eleven Food Hall at 756 E. 111th St.” (Chiarito, Block Club Chicago, 4/30/21)