Visitors Pause to Remember Special Memories of Arlington Park As Demolition Begins

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A look at the vacant backstretch with the grandstand in the background (the backstretch is the area adjacent to a racetrack where the horses are stabled and stable employees have temporary housing)
A look at the vacant backstretch with the grandstand in the background (the backstretch is the area adjacent to a racetrack where the horses are stabled and stable employees have temporary housing during the racing season).

As demolition at Arlington Park began the last week of May 2023, several people stopped by near the Metra commuter lot to watch the first interior items removed from the east side of the grandstand. Loud banging was heard inside the grandstand, and a small end loader excavator carried out scrap to a large dumpster — carrying out destroyed materials from the interior of the grandstand. Eventually several trips from the little end loader filled the dumpster. A larger excavator smashed and compressed the material in the dumpster, so more debris could be placed in the dumpster. Wednesday, May 31, 2023 was the first day scrap material was brought outside to the dumpster. Heavy equipment for exterior demolition in the future arrived around the time that a permit for demolition was granted by the Village of Arlington Heights on Friday, May 26, 2023.

Several people that arrived to watch workers prepare for demolition shared their memories with each other. Many offered opinions about what should be done with the property, and several people wished the plan for the overall property would have kept the horse racing track as part of the overall plan. However one onlooker, Elyse Mach, focused on some of her cherished memories of the racetrack, and simply resigned to the demolition process, saying, “this too shall pass.”

Elyse Mach recalls beautiful memories of Arlington Park, including championship horses, before initial interior demolition on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. YouTube Tips ⓘ




The Chicago Bears own the property now, and are rushing to demolish structures on the property in an effort to reduce Cook County property taxes.

First day of material removal for demolition work at Arlington Park on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. YouTube Tips ⓘ




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A vacant stable building with the grandstand in the background
A vacant stable building with the grandstand in the background.
A barn or stable in the backstretch
A barn or stable in the backstretch.




Shed and stable in the backstretch
Shed and stable in the backstretch.
A wide view of the backstretch area
A wide view of the backstretch area.
Heavy equipment in staging that will be used when the larger structural demolition begins.
Heavy equipment in staging that will be used when the larger structural demolition begins.




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