Pullman National Monument Visitor Center Officially Opens

CHICAGO (CBS)-- This Labor Day is a historic one on Chicago's South Side.

The mayor, governor, and other political heavyweights came out for the official grand opening of the Pullman National Monument, where Labor Day was born.

Pullman became Chicago's first National Monument Park in 2015, declared by president Barack Obama. The $35 million Pullman National Visitor Center officially opened on Labor Day in what is now known as the Pullman neighborhood.

It was one of the first planned industrial communities in the United States. With a rich history, including the 1894 Pullman strike that had a major impact on labor rights, leading to the creation of Labor Day as a federal holiday.

A ribbon cutting, at 11001 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Monday morning, honored the history that happened in Pullman.

"You've got labor with the Pullman strike is 1894, you've got urban planning history with the whole worker town and you've got African American history the Pullman porters," David Doig, president of  Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, a nonprofit in Pullman, said.

Pullman Porters would form the first Black labor union in the country.

"This is a dream come true," Doig said. "We've been talking about this build and talking about this project for over a decade and to see it actually come to fruition is gratifying."