Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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reinvented as an art gallery. While this may be a welcome and inventive use of the struc-
ture, it's actually an idea that first cr opped up in 1948 but was nev er acted upon. The
spiffed-up interior is intimate and sunny, and it's a refreshing pit stop of culture on your
way to the Water Tower shopping center or pumping-station tourist information center
across the str eet. Exhibits have included wor ks by Chicago-based photographer Victor
Skrebneski. Allow a half-hour.
806 N. Michigan Ave. (btw. Chicago Ave. and Pearson St.).
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312/742-0808.
Free admission. Mon-Sat
10am-6:30pm; Sun 10am-5pm. Bus: 3, 145, 146, 147, or 151.
DuSable Museum of A frican-American History
Ages 5 & up.
The DuSable
Museum is a repository of the history, art, and artifacts pertaining to the African-Amer-
ican experience and cultur e. Named for Chicago's first permanent settler , Jean Baptiste
Point du Sable, a French-Canadian of Haitian descent, it is admirable not so much for
its collections and exhibits as for the inspiring stor y behind its existence. F ounded in
1961 with a $10 char ter and minimal capital, the museum began in the home of D r.
Margaret Burroughs, an art teacher at the city's DuSable High School. In 1973, as a result
of a community-based campaign, the museum took up r esidence in its present building
(a former parks administration facility and police lockup) on the eastern edge of Wash-
ington Park. With no major endowment to speak of, the DuSable Museum has managed
to accumulate a respectable collection of more than 13,000 artifacts, books, photographs,
art objects, and memorabilia. I ts collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptur
e b y
6
African-American and African artists is excellent.
In 1993 the D uSable Museum added a 25,000-squar e-foot wing named in honor of
the city's first and only African-American may or, Harold Washington. The permanent
exhibit on Washington contains memorabilia and personal effects, and surveys important
episodes in his political car eer. The museum also has a gift shop , a research library, and
an extensive program of community-related events, such as a jazz and blues music series,
and other cultural ev ents, all pr esented in a 466-seat auditorium. Youth programming
and workshops are also scheduled year-round, including a film series.
740 E. 56th Plac e.
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773/947-0600.
www.dusablemuseum.org. Admission $3 adults, $2 students and
seniors, $1 children 6-13, free for children 5 and under . Free admission Sun. Tues-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun
noon-5pm. Closed major holidays. Subway/El: Metra Electric train to 57th St. and Lake Park Ave., then a
short cab ride. Bus: 6.
Historic Pullman
Ages 10 & up.
Railway magnate G eorge P ullman was a
fabulously wealthy industrialist, and he fancied himself more enlightened than his 19th-
century peers. So when it came time to build a ne w headquarters for his Pullman Palace
Car Company, he dreamed of something more than the standard factory surrounded by
tenements. I nstead, he built a model community for his wor kers, a place wher e they
could liv e in houses with indoor plumbing and abundant natural light—amenities
almost unheard of for industrial wor kers in the 1880s. P ullman didn't do all this fr om
the goodness of his hear t; he hoped that the to wn named after him would attract the
most skilled workers (who would, not coincidentally, be so happy here that they wouldn't
go on strike). As one of the first “factory towns,” Pullman caused an international sensa-
tion and was seen as a model for other companies. The happy wor kers that P ullman
envisioned, however, did not entir ely cooperate, going on strike in 1894, fr ustrated by
the company's control over every aspect of their lives.
Today the Pullman district makes a fascinating stop for families with kids inter ested
in history or architecture. Although many of the homes are private residences, a number
