| Origins | Settled by George M. Pullman in 1879 and annexed in 1889 |
|---|---|
| Area | Far Southeast Side |
| Boundaries | 95th Street on the north, 115th Street on the south, South Stoney Island Avenue to Bishop Ford Expressway on the east, South Cottage Grove Avenue on the west |
| Gangs headquartered | Gangster Disciples, Black P Stones, Latin Kings, Gangster Stones, |
This area was barren land early in the 19th century and was made to be part of Hyde Park Township in 1861; however, no one really lived here.
In the year 1879 George M. Pullman was looking to build up a train car factory away from the hustle and bustle of the city after dealing with unsettling business in Detroit. Pullman also had a grand vision to build a society of his own that would house his workers and socially engineer the neighborhood. This neighborhood would be free of crime and other social woes that were being faced in Chicago. Pullman purchased 4,000 acres of land but only 600 were for his factory and the rest was for his socially engineered private society, and in 1880 all the construction began.
On New Year’s Day 1881 the first family moved into Pullman’s society, the Benson family, at 11109 St. Lawrence (111th and St. Lawrence). In that same year the Hotel Florence was finished and many visitors from around the world came to tour this socially engineered town. The structures of the town and the parks were something to be marveled as working class workers enjoyed brick frame homes with running water and excellent schools which was unheard of for working classes in the city; however, the downfall was residents had to live and behave the way Pullman wanted them to which was criticized as not being an American way of living as it seemed to violate the rights of workers/residents.
In the year 1884 the area became incorporated as the “Town of Pullman.” The town continued to add beauty to the neighborhood as workers lived in a clean and desirable environment; the town was then annexed into the city of Chicago in 1889. This are is the present day Arcade Row area and the North Pullman area from 103rd down to 115th Street.
During the Columbian World’s Exposition fair in 1893 tourism and the desire to live in this community skyrocketed thanks to the fair but this sudden peak of success would bring a downturn once the recession of 1893 took hold of the country and caused Pullman to have to cut wages. In 1894 workers went on strike nationwide and this striking came to Pullman which was a behavior Pullman was trying to socially engineer around when creating his society but there was no putting down this protest as federal troops were the only ones that could do it. Workers were upset that Pullman cut wages but not rent in the houses he controlled. This brought the further downfall of this prospering town, even though it was recognized as “The World’s Most Perfect Town” at the International Hygienic and Pharmaceutical Exposition in the city of Prague in 1896. Criticism came from all over the globe that this type of employer to employee relationship was not suitable and should not happen.
In the year 1897 George M. Pullman passed away and the Pullman Car Factory was taken over by Robert Todd Lincoln. In 1898 the U.S. Supreme Court got involved in this socially engineered community and ordered the entire community except the factory to be sold to private ownership that had nothing to do with the factory, this would defeat the socially engineered community that once fascinated the world. The old Pullman subdivision now became Arcade Row and North Pullman.
In the early 1900s-decade Pullman became an uninteresting neighborhood which dried up some of the hotel and shopping businesses. The neighborhood lost a lot of its charm and many residents moved out; however, it still remained a descent Italian, Irish and Polish neighborhood.
In the year 1923, renewed interest came to Pullman when construction began on the Cottage Grove Heights subdivision built between 95th Street to 99th Street, from Cottage Grove to Stoney Island. This increased the population of Pullman and the construction continued through the mid-1920s.
The 1930s decade during the Great Depression era brought some hard times in the neighborhood due to unemployment in the Pullman Car Factory and in surrounding industries. The area also experienced several bootleggers manufacturing illegal alcohol in the early 1930s which gave the neighborhood a bad reputation for being on its way to becoming the next Chicago slum especially since the neighborhood had many older and slightly deteriorated houses. Once the depression began construction on Cottage Grove Heights stopped completely.
After the Great Depression the neighborhood was doing well enough again to be considered a decent place to live.
During World War II, a renewed interest in Pullman cars driven by the war effort brought back the later and more developed stage of Cottage Grove Heights development as several houses were built between the war years into the mid-1950s. Many returning war veterans moved into this subdivision following the war.
In the year 1965, a new development was soon to come to Pullman between 100th Street and 101st Street off Cottage Grove Avenue. This was the London Towne Co-op apartments and town houses which began construction in 1965 and the first residents began to move in. These residents were not the usually Italian, Irish and Polish whites, these were African Americans. This set off some anger felt between Pullman, Roseland and Burnside residents that led to the formation of the Pullman, Burnside, Roseland group who held meetings at the Florence Hotel for close to a decade beginning in 1965. Roseland now had African American street gangs near 95th Street and crime was increasing along with poverty in Roseland. Now many Pullman residents feared racial change because of London Towne. Most of this turned into mostly talk and fears but there was some racially violent action. By the end of the 60s London Towne was complete and all sold to African Americans. Many of these African American families were middle class looking to escape impoverished African American neighborhoods.
Around the time London Towne was being built Pullman area white gangs formed that mostly fought each other but also fought African American gangs like Disciples and Blackstone Rangers from Roseland. The Pullman Hackers was one of the toughest gangs from the North Pullman area. North Pullman was more working class as opposed to south Pullman that was more middle-class. Hackers fought with gangs and groups from south Pullman as they didn’t like anyone south of 111th Street. As far as I know, all white gangs of Pullman did not mess with London Towne likely because there were no African American gangs there when they were first built and settled by African American families. Pullman residents mostly came together with Burnside and Roseland residents over quarrels with Roseland area impoverished African Americans and the gangs that lived in their community areas. Pullman residents did fear African Americans moving heavily into North Pullman, Cottage Grove Heights and Arcade Row.
By the year 1969, Roseland was now a little over half African American. The 1970 census showed Roseland to be 55% African American. This became the breaking point for Pullman and Roseland white residents as they packed their bags hastily alongside white flight between 1969 and 1970. Cottage Grove Heights white residents were the first to leave Pullman during this initial white flight drive as the neighborhood rapidly transitioned from white to black. Several African American middle classes moved here as did landlords that divided houses and rented to lower income African Americans which caused a stir among more Pullman white residents. Racial clashed piqued in 1969 which brought in the Black Gangster Disciples and Black P Stones into Cottage Grove Heights in 1969. Black P Stones moved into London Towne in 1969. Both gangs arrived to settle racial differences at first and combat discrimination Pullman African Americans faced but ended up turning against each other. Now Pullman African American gang groups battled Roseland African American gang groups. By the 1970 census Pullman had become 51% African American, this now prompted white flight to begin in the North Pullman section.
In the early 1970s, Whites had completely left all of Pullman north of 111th Street and white gangs like the Pullman Hackers left the area for good. By the early to mid-1970s the Gangster Stones group moved into North Pullman and became a large influence even spreading into London Towne to join the Black P Stones. Both groups were strong allies that battled Black Gangster Disciples. Like the Black P Stones and Gangster Disciples the Gangster Stones would establish a long and permanent presence in Pullman.
In the year 1981 the Pullman Car Factory ceased operations and laid everyone else off, this brought the community more poverty and gangs became a larger threat.
Beginning in 1981, a settlement of Mexican families moved into the historic southern part of Pullman which remained a mostly white area but many of the homes were older and now being rented or sold off at cheaper rates. As the Mexicans came to Pullman so did the Latin Kings street gang that came to the aide of Hispanic youths being bullied by the Gangster Disciples, Gangster Stones and Black P Stones. These two groups of Latin Kings would become known as the “Pullman Latin Kings” and “Roseland Latin Kings.” Even though the Roseland Latin Kings were named after Roseland they technically resided in the borders of Pullman.
The Latin Kings of Pullman became a legendary group that battled for their existence in a majority African American community. During the 1980s and 1990s the Pullman neighborhood saw some of the worst gang violence as these four gangs battled for dominance. The Gangster Disciples and Black P Stones dominated through larger numbers than the Latin Kings, but Latin Kings would prove to be more dangerous and crazier.
Pullman had struggled with poverty and some gang violence all the way up to present day; however, this is not one of the more violent communities in Chicago but is still one of the tougher neighborhoods that has been experiencing a higher level of violence. This neighborhood became a part of the “Wild 100s” which is a nickname for south side neighborhoods between 100th Street and 130th Street that experience heavy gang activity and violence, even though the violence is not as bad as other Wild 100s neighborhoods, all of Pullman is in this zone.
In recent years Pullman has become very diverse as this neighborhood has become increasingly desirable for upper middle classes of white, black, and Hispanic races. Pullman may soon become completely changed.
Arcade Row area never became blighted and impoverished. The roughness of the area was only Latin Kings who lived in some of the older Pullman apartments. This southern part of Pullman has retained decent value and residents have worked since the mid-60s to prevent devastating urban woes and the values of housing have remained higher end.
Cottage Grove Heights has always been an area for Middle-class African Americans; however, lower income African American families also rent many of the home and gang violence ensues as the areas Gangster Disciples battle Black P Stones. Between 95th to 97th section is Stones while Disciples have 97th to 99th.
London Towne has suffered from issues of high poverty and heavy gang activity. Black P Stones eventually had to share the area with Conservative Vice Lords which has led to more gang violence. The African American middle-class mostly left this area leaving the area to more impoverished families; however, this is not a severely poverty stricken area.
North Pullman has suffered vacancy and some blight. This area has a mixture of the old Pullman town houses and old Pullman houses. Some houses end up rented to low income families while other house African American middle-classes. Gang violence has remained and an issue as the Gangster Stones that control this area often clash with other gangs in Pullman and Roseland.
In the 1970s up to present years Black P Stones, Gangster Stones and Black Gangster Disciples have dominated this neighborhood while Latin Kings have had a significant presence.
Below are the significant gangs that have walked these streets over the years:
Black P Stones Established 1969-present years
95th to 97th, Avalon to Cottage Grove Established 1969-present years
100th St to 101st Street and Cottage Grove (London Towne)
Conservative Vice Lords
100th St to 101st Street and Cottage Grove (London Towne)
Latin Kings Established 1981-present years
113th & Langley (Pullman Latin Kings)
115th & Champlain (Roseland Latin Kings)
Gangster Disciples Established 1969-present years
97th to 99th, Cottage Grove to Stoney Island (D Block) Established 1969-present years
Gangster Stones Established early to mid-1970s-present years
100th to 101st and Cottage Grove (London Towne) early to mid-1970s-1990s
103rd to 110th, Cottage Grove to Maryland early to mid-1970s-present years