Racine station (CTA Green Line)

When the Green Line closed on January 9, 1994, for a two-year renovation, Racine closed along with the other Green Line stations. However, Racine did not reopen with the rest of the 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.[2] 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'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.[3] 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.[2] 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. As a result, employees at the adjacent Racine Shops train yard used the platforms to board and exit trains until the platform floors were removed in late 2016 to early 2017.[4]