Date: March 30, 2017
Chicago, IL – The National Park Service has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Pullman Factory Site Conceptual Design/Environmental Assessment (Environmental Assessment). Alternative 2, the George Pullman Period (ca. 1880-1897) alternative, is the selected action.
This FONSI clears the way for the National Park Service, in partnership with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, to proceed with design. Request for Qualifications for both the development of the National Park Service Visitor Center in the Clock Tower Building and the design of the Factory Site improvements have been issued, and proposals are due on April 11.
The selected action supports converting the Administration Clock Tower Building into Pullman National Monument’s principal Visitor Center and adds a series of other elements that assist in interpreting the 1880 Factory Site, including additional landscape design reminiscent of that period. The FONSI establishes that, based on the Environmental Assessment, there would be no significant impact on the environment as a result of the selected action.
The Environmental Assessment lays out the actions that will enhance and stabilize structures and features to prevent further deterioration of the historical integrity of the Factory Site and prepare the National Park Service-owned Administration Clock Tower Building for park uses. Two other alternatives were also evaluated in the Environmental Assessment. The document was made available for public review and comment from February 3 through March 6, 2017.
The full FONSI can be found at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/PULL_FONSI.
