It’s gone. Honestly, it still feels weird to say that. If you drive past the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Wilms Road in Arlington Heights today, you aren’t greeted by the towering, white cantilevered roof or the scent of manicured turf. Instead, you see a massive, 326-acre void. It’s a literal hole in the heart of Illinois sports culture. For nearly a century, Arlington Park horse track was the "Midsummer Place to Be," a venue so beautiful it was often called the Augusta National of horse racing.
But then the wrecking balls came.
People who never even bet a $2 exacta on a Friday afternoon are feeling the loss. Why? Because Arlington Park wasn't just about gambling. It was a social ecosystem. It was where you wore a sundress or a seersucker suit once a year to feel fancy while drinking a watered-down mint julep. It was a masterpiece of architecture that rose from the ashes of a 1985 fire, only to be dismantled by corporate strategy and a shifting gambling landscape in the 2020s.
The Rise and Terrible Fall of a Landmark
To understand why the closure of Arlington Park horse track hurts so much, you have to look at what it survived. Back in 1985, a catastrophic fire leveled the original grandstand. It was a disaster. Most owners would have taken the insurance money and run. But Richard Duchossois—a man known for his relentless discipline and a "no-excuses" attitude—decided to rebuild. He didn't just build a grandstand; he built a palace.
He spent $100 million of his own money. In the 1980s, that was an astronomical sum for a race track.
The result was a six-story masterpiece that won an Eclipse Award for Special Achievement. It had Italian marble. It had a paddock that felt like a botanical garden. It was the first track in the world to host a million-dollar race, the Arlington Million, which famously saw John Henry edge out The Bart in 1981 in a finish so close they eventually put a statue of it on the balcony.
Why did it actually close?
There’s a lot of finger-pointing here. Some blame Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI), the corporate behemoth that owned the track. Others blame the state of Illinois for being slow to pass "racino" legislation that would have allowed slot machines at the track. Honestly, it was a mix of both. By the time Illinois finally legalized sports betting and casino games at tracks, CDI already had a majority stake in Rivers Casino Des Plaines, located just a few miles away.
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They didn't want to compete with themselves.
Business is cold. CDI decided the land was worth more than the legacy. In 2021, they reached an agreement to sell the entire property to the Chicago Bears for $197.2 million. The final race was held on September 25, 2021. I remember the atmosphere that day; it was celebratory but deeply funeral. The bugler played "Auld Lang Syne," and grown men were crying into their programs.
What the Site Looks Like Today
If you’re looking for a status update on the Arlington Park horse track property, it’s complicated. The Bears officially closed on the land in early 2023. They spent months tearing down the grandstand. Watching that iconic roof come down in sections was a gut punch for the Northwest Suburbs.
Currently, the site is a vast expanse of dirt and rubble.
The Bears' plan to move there is currently stuck in a sort of bureaucratic purgatory. There are two big hurdles:
- Property Taxes: The Cook County Assessor hiked the property value from $33 million to $197 million (the sale price). The Bears, understandably, don't want to pay taxes on a "vacant" lot based on that valuation.
- The Lakefront Pivot: Kevin Warren, the Bears’ President, has pivoted back to talking about a stadium on the Chicago lakefront.
This leaves the Arlington Heights community in a weird spot. They lost their crown jewel, and now the "replacement" might not even happen. It's a massive gamble that hasn't paid off yet.
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The Architectural Legacy We Lost
We need to talk about the "Arlington Style." Most horse tracks are grimy. They are places of sticky floors and stale smoke. Arlington was different. Duchossois insisted that every employee wear a tie. He famously would walk the grounds and pick up individual cigarette butts himself.
The track featured a "European-style" paddock. Fans could stand right at the rail as the horses were saddled. You could see the steam rising off a Thoroughbred’s coat on a humid August day. That proximity to the animal is something you don't get at a football stadium or a basketball arena.
- The Turf Course: It was widely considered the best in North America.
- The Million Room: A dining experience that felt like 1950s high society.
- The Cantilever Roof: An engineering marvel that allowed for unobstructed views of the entire home stretch. No pillars. No bad seats.
Realities of the Horse Racing Industry
Let's be real for a second. Horse racing is a struggling sport. Between the safety concerns surrounding horse welfare—highlighted by the spikes in fatalities at tracks like Santa Anita and Churchill Downs—and the rise of digital sports betting, the "sport of kings" is losing its grip.
Arlington Park was an outlier because it was a "destination."
It wasn't just for gamblers. It was for families. On Sundays, the infield was packed with kids on pony rides. It was one of the few places where the industry felt healthy. When CDI decided to shut it down, they didn't just close a business; they killed the most successful model for what modern horse racing could look like in a major metropolitan area.
The Political Fallout
The village of Arlington Heights is currently grappling with a massive tax revenue hole. The track provided thousands of seasonal jobs and millions in local tax dollars. While the Bears' potential move promises a multibillion-dollar "lifestyle district" with housing and retail, that's years—maybe a decade—away.
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In the meantime, local businesses like Ditka’s (which was right there) and various hotels have felt the sting. The "Arlington Park" stop on the Metra Union Pacific Northwest line still exists, but it serves a ghost town.
Common Misconceptions About the Closure
One thing people get wrong is thinking the track was failing. It wasn't. While handle (the amount of money bet) was down from its 90s peak, Arlington was still a profitable entity. It was closed because it wasn't profitable enough compared to the potential real estate windfall or the protection of Rivers Casino’s market share.
Another myth? That the Bears have "broken ground." They haven't. They have "cleared ground." There is a big difference. No concrete has been poured for a stadium. No permits for a new arena have been issued.
Moving Forward: What Can You Do?
If you're a fan of the history or just curious about what's next, there are a few ways to keep tabs on the situation without getting lost in the rumor mill.
First, check the local archives. The Arlington Heights Historical Museum has been doing an incredible job preserving artifacts from the track, including old programs, photos, and even pieces of the grandstand. It's worth a visit if you want to see the scale of what was there.
Second, if you're looking for horse racing in Illinois, your options are thinning. Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero is the last one standing in the Chicago area. It’s a "dual-surface" track, meaning they do both Thoroughbred and Standardbred (harness) racing. It doesn't have the "country club" vibe of Arlington, but it's where the heart of the industry beats now.
Third, stay skeptical of stadium news. The "Bears to Arlington" saga changes every time a new tax assessment is released. Follow local reporters like those at the Daily Herald, who have been on the ground covering the zoning meetings and school board disputes that will ultimately decide what happens to those 326 acres.
Actionable Steps for the Displaced Fan
- Visit Hawthorne: Support the remaining Illinois racing industry if you miss the live experience. They are currently undergoing their own massive renovation to become a casino-track hybrid.
- Museum Collections: Reach out to the Arlington Heights Historical Society to donate any memorabilia. They are actively trying to document the "human side" of the track—the stories of the backstretch workers and long-time fans.
- Zoning Meetings: If you live in the Northwest Suburbs, attend the Arlington Heights Village Board meetings. The future of that land affects your property taxes and local traffic more than any touchdown ever will.
The era of Arlington Park horse track as a sporting venue is over. The "Postward" call has sounded for the last time. But the debate over its footprint—and the corporate decisions that led to its demise—will be studied by urban planners and sports historians for decades. It remains a cautionary tale of what happens when a community landmark meets a corporate balance sheet.