Chicago is about to get a new national park — its first ever.
The White House announced Tuesday that it will designate a section of Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood on the South Side as a national monument. President Barack Obama, whose community organizing work began in the neighborhood, is expected to personally announce the news in Chicago on Feb. 19, DNAinfo Chicago reports.
Elected officials and historic groups alike had been pushing for years for National Parks status for the 300-acre district, which dates back to the 1880s.
–
“Hopefully the Mayor and the President will both highlight and credit the five decade grassroots effort that led to this, because right now it just looks like politics,” Fioretti said in a statement, noting that he has been pushing for a Pullman national park “for years.”
A row of homes is seen across from the Pullman Factory in Chicago, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
