Facade Legacy Project
In 2007, the Beman Committee launched an effort to document the façades of all residential units with an initial focus on the southern part of the Pullman Historic District. The all-volunteer Beman Committee—composed of architects, historians, skilled craftsmen and other passionate local residents—began with a visual survey of the homes to be documented in order to identify different facade types and catalogue the remaining original windows, doors and porches. Following completion of the survey, the Committee mined the known repositories for Pullman archival information, which provided an invaluable trove of photographs, maps and drawings that were essential to the effort.
Funding for the initial Facade Legacy Project, completed in 2013, was provided by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. All architectural drawings completed by Joe Dietz were then added to a public, searchable database of façade styles by property address. This database continues to act as a standing resource to property owners, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks for use in building permits, and contractors wishing to perform any rehabilitation, stabilization, or other work on the façades of the applicable buildings.
In 2022, The Beman Committee was awarded the Timuel D. Black Jr. Grant Fund from Landmarks Illinois in the amount of $2,500 for the continuation of the Façade Legacy Project in the northern part of the Pullman Historic District. Local architect, Ann Alspaugh of aMa Architecture worked with the Committee to complete the remaining drawings. Ann generously donated her services in-kind for the matching portion of the grant. These efforts will complete the catalogue of residential facade drawings for the entire Pullman Historic District and will be uploaded to the same public searchable database, expanding its reach to the remainder of the community.
The Beman Committee has received several awards for its efforts throughout the years, including a 2008 Preservation Excellence Award from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, a 2009 Landmarks Illinois/Richard H. Driehaus Preservation Award and, most recently, a 2014 John Baird Award for Stewardship in Historic Preservation from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
The database of drawings can be found at: www.pullman-museum.org/facades.
