Illinois to Fund $100M Pullman Hotel Redevelopment

The $100 million redevelopment of the Hotel Florence is a public-private partnership, with the state of Illinois contributing $21 million in capital funds to leverage over $83 million in private investment. This project is the first major public-private partnership undertaken by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The development team is led by Celadon Construction Corp. and includes the architecture firm Farr Associates. Built in 1881 by George Pullman, the Hotel Florence was named after his daughter and designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman. The Queen Anne-style hotel was a luxurious accommodation for businessmen visiting the Pullman Palace Car Company, though its bar was famously off-limits to the company's workers who lived in the planned industrial town. The hotel is a centerpiece of the Pullman Historic District, which was designated a National Monument in 2015 and later a National Historical Park. The restoration will transform the long-vacant landmark into a boutique hotel, restaurant, and dining destination. The project also includes renovating portions of the original Pullman Car Works factory building to create a cultural and performing arts hub. The 1914 annex to the hotel is slated to become affordable workforce housing. This investment is part of a broader wave of economic development on Chicago's South Side. The Pullman neighborhood is a focus of the city's INVEST South/West initiative, a strategy aimed at revitalizing commercial corridors in historically disinvested communities. Since 2010, organizations like Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives have helped attract hundreds of millions in investment and created thousands of jobs in the area. The restored hotel aims to fill a hospitality gap and attract more of the estimated 300,000 annual visitors to the Pullman National Historical Park.