Racine is an abandoned

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

station on the

Chicago Transit Authority The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...

's Green Line. The station is located at 6314–16 South Racine Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Racine opened on February 25, 1907, when the Englewood branch of the

South Side Elevated Railroad The South Side Elevated Railroad (originally Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad) was the first elevated rapid transit line in Chicago, Illinois. The line ran from downtown Chicago to Jackson Park, with branches to Englewood, Normal P ...

was extended westward. The station closed with the rest of the Green Line on January 9, 1994, but did not reopen with the rest of the Green Line on May 12, 1996.

History

Racine was built in 1905–06 during the first years of the Englewood branch's existence. The station was designed in the

Greek revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

style by architect Earl Nielson. The original station building and platform still remain at the site, as Racine has not undergone any major renovations since it opened. Racine is the only original Englewood station that has not been demolished or rebuilt. Racine entered service on February 25, 1907. It served as the terminus of the Englewood branch before it was extended to Loomis in July of the same year. The station was originally known as Center Street; it changed its name when Center Street changed its name to Racine Avenue. When the CTA instituted A/B skip-stop service in 1949, Racine, along with the entire Englewood branch, became an "A" station.

Closure of the station

When the Green Line closed on January 9, 1994, for a two-year renovation, Racine closed along with the other Green Line stations. Racine did not reopen with the rest of the Green Line on May 12, 1996. The CTA decided to close Racine and five other stations permanently in 1994, when they began the Green Line project. The station closings were controversial in certain communities, and a group of over 20 community leaders known as the Green Line Coalition protested outside Mayor

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...

's office. They claimed that the CTA had reneged on its promise to reopen the stations and that the closures would affect economic development in poorer communities. Illinois State Senator Rickey Hendon also referred to the closings as racist and "a slap in the face" because the closed stations were in African-American communities. After they closed the station, the CTA chose not to demolish due to its status as a historic station per a memorandum of agreement between the CTA and the

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency The Illinois Historic Preservation Division, formerly Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It is tasked with the duty of ...

. As a result, employees at the adjacent Racine Shops

train yard A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or ...

used the platforms to board and exit trains until the platform floors were removed in late 2016 to early 2017.

Possible reopening

As of December 2022, the CTA considered reopening the station after advocates in Englewood petitioned to get the station reopened. A referendum about reopening the station was placed on ballots in the 16th Ward for the first round of the

2023 Chicago elections The 2023 Chicago elections took place in two rounds on February 28, 2023, and April 4, 2023. Elections were held for Mayor of Chicago, City Clerk of Chicago, City Treasurer of Chicago, all 50 members of the Chicago City Council, and 66 members of ...

. Over 93% of voters supported reopening the station in the ensuing vote on February 28, 2023.

References

External links

Racine Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Racine (Cta Green Line Station) CTA Green Line stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1907 1907 establishments in Illinois Defunct Chicago "L" stations 1994 disestablishments in Illinois South Side, Chicago Railway stations in the United States closed in 1994