Illinois Statutes Chapter 20. Executive Branch § 3407/45-5. Legislative intent

§ 45-5. Legislative intent. Originally built in 1881, the Hotel Florence is located within the Pullman Historic District and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970. To save it from demolition the Historic Pullman Foundation purchased the hotel in 1975 and maintained ownership until 1991 when the State of Illinois took title of the building. The Hotel Florence is continually closed for renovations and is a semi-closed public space.

The hotel sits within the Pullman National Historic Landmark District, which was designated as a National Monument in 2015 and recently redesignated as Illinois' first National Park on December 29, 2022 and is operated by the U.S. National Park Service. This redesignation allows for the National Park Service to enter into cooperative agreements with outside parties for interpretive and educational programs at nonfederal historic properties within the boundaries of the park and to provide assistance for the preservation of nonfederal land within the boundaries of the historical park and at sites in close proximity to it, which includes the Pullman State Historic Site (Hotel Florence, Hotel Florence Annex, Factory Grounds, Rear Erecting Shops, Front Erecting Shop North Factory Wing, Front Erecting Shop South Factory Wing Ruin, and the Historic 1911 “Advance” Railroad Passenger Car).

The General Assembly has allocated $21,000,000 in capital infrastructure funds to aid in the restoration and capital improvements at the Pullman State Historic Site, including, but not limited to, renovation of the Hotel Florence.

The General Assembly finds that allowing for the Department of Natural Resources to enter into a public-private partnership that will allow the Hotel Florence to become a fully reactivated space in a timely manner that is in the public benefit of the State and the local Pullman community.