The former Trackside at Arlington Park is scheduled for demolition as part of overall demolition at the racecourse. (Journal photo) A well-known building that for more than 30 years served as the venue for countless high school reunions, banquets, dinners, poker games, and as an Off Track Betting parlor, will be one of the many
For a group of local horseplayers, the back patio at a Prospect Heights sports bar/OTB has become their regular meeting spot since the closure of Arlington Park in 2021. It s where they still get together to play the ponies, share memories, and debate all that went wrong and what could have happened differently to keep their favorite racetrack open.
Many of the visitors to the catacombs of Arlington Park s shuttered grandstand Monday afternoon weren t particularly interested in bidding on the gallons of Caesar salad dressing or red pepper flakes. A few, though, were eying the stacks of china plates with the racetrack s crest, upon which brunches were once served in the Arlington Million Room just a few floors above.