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| Pullman Virtual Museum | THE PULLMAN COMPANY | The Factory |
THE FACTORY
The factory buildings, Administration Building, and Clock Tower were unusual
in that the architectural design and treatment defied the common practice of
having drab, uninteresting building for industrial use. The Pullman buildings
were given an architectural identity and set in a park-like setting. In front of
the Administration Building was the beautifully landscaped Lake Vista – an
artificial lake created to serve as a cooling reservoir for the Corliss Steam
Engine. The factory buildings provided unusually good working conditions for
employees. They were well lighted and ventilated. The walls were painted in
light colors to create a cheerful atmosphere. They were not to be compared to
the sweatshops of the time. The cars were constructed in assembly line fashion,
a remarkable method for the time.
The Administration Building and Clock Tower formed the central mass of a
monumental structure seven hundred feet long. Its architectural design reflects
mixed heritage. As both real and symbolic expression of the great economic
power, which was the Pullman Company, it was essential the building display a
strong sense of formal ordering.
At the center rises the clock tower and roof, which was echoed in the shapes of
the gabled pavilions which marked the outer end of the long façade. The entire
structure is oriented with the most impressive elevation to the west away from
the town, which served it, and toward the Illinois Central. The power and
majesty of the building was intensified by its mirror image in Lake Vista, the
artificial lake that once stood before it. The central pavilion with its clock
tower clearly expresses where the center of authority stood. It is hard to
imagine what vista was afforded to visitors arriving by train, as most did, when
they looked in awe at the grandeur of the factory, the gardens, the hotel and
the arcade.
The architectural heritage reflected in the Administration Building descends
from the formal symmetrical ordering of elements associated with French
architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries. The formality is emphasized by the
landscape treatment of the area surrounding the building. The costuming style of
the building ornamentation descends from romantic naturalistic heritage largely
borrowed form England. In an attempt to harmonize the Administration Building
with the rest of the town, Beman has been forced to introduce a wide variety of
both arched and rectilinear forms into his façade in an attempt to disguise the
fact that is so rigidly symmetrical. The arched shapes in both the tower and end
pavilion contrasts with the angular statements made by the regularly spaced
skylights of the factory wings.
The buildings were ventilated with numerous windows and skylights and the
interiors were painted light colors to maximize natural light making working
condition in the factory complex better than most for the time. This delicate,
airy, salubrious construction resulted, ironically, in the early demise of the
building’s structure. The skylights were framed entirely of wood – the
quality of fine cabinetry, but entirely inappropriate to withstand the elements
over the years.
<< Click here to see images of the factory from our collection >>
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