Many of you might of heard of the Historic Pullman Neighborhood
just across the stateline in Illinois.
Well... Over on this side of the stateline Pullman established
another neighborhood for his workers at the nearby plant that used
to be just to the southeast along 165th street.
Location / Historical Significance
Located on the southeastern corner of the Central Hammond area,
is the Pullman-Standard Historic District. This relatively small
but significant residential area was developed by the Standard
Steel Car Company, later to become the Pullman-Standard Company .
This district well represents a very important period in the city's
early industrial development. It also illustrates of typical
company housing that was quite common during the early part of the
twentieth century.
In 1906, the Standard Steel Car Manufacturing, a Pennsylvania
based industry, moved its company operation to Hammond to build
freight and rail passenger cars. Standard Steel Car's manufacturing
facilities were expansive, covering well over 350 acres. The
complex included various support buildings, car shops and numerous
rail spurs. When built the Hammond plant was considered the third
largest manufacturer of rail cars in the nation. The company had an
estimated work force of 3,000 employees, with daily rail car
production of 100 units.
With this large influx of workers into the city a housing
shortage quickly arose. In the late fall of 1906 the company built
temporary housing for the many construction workers that were need
to build the plant. When the facility opened additional housing
units were built to the south and west of the present day district
boundaries. The majority of the original housing was later
demolished during the 1930's to make room for private
residences.
In an effort to attract management personnel, the company began
to offer housing as an employment incentive. This was brought about
because of increased production demands during World War I. Single,
duplex and quad residences were built along winding streets, a bold
concept at the time, now quite common. As a quick fix the company
built the Lyndora Hotel , which housed workers and officials of the
U. S. Ordnance Department. This grand old hotel soon became local
social center for the area. Sadly this structure was destroyed by a
fire in 1985 and later demolished in 1986.
Architectural Styles
Many of the district's homes are of simple designs, however with
the use of various building materials and different rooflines and
elevations, the area's streetscape takes on a varied look. Many
examples of the quad style residences are scattered throughout the
entire district. Some prime examples are located at 5921-5915 and
6005-6011 Columbia Avenue, the area's main north/south
thoroughfare.
The neighborhood's many duplexes take on a variety of designs.
One example is a three-bay front facade with gable-end entries.
This style of building can be seen at 5919-5921 and 5925-5941
Wallace Road. Another type is of brick construction with arched
entries at both ends. The homes located at 5851-5853 Columbia
Avenue and 6036-6038 Wallace Road show this design.
Yet another style of this type of residence features a stucco
second story with twin gables. Good illustrations of these are
found along 5919-5921 and 5939-5941 Wallace Road. The area's single
frame houses are of a three-bay elevation with a central entryway
design. Some good examples of this style can be seen at 6017 and
6031 Wallace Road.
Enjoy!