ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — What was once a prominent horse racing track in the northwest suburbs is now almost completely unrecognizable.
The majority of the grandstand that was once the prominent feature of Arlington Park has been torn down as the Bears continue to clear the land they purchased back in February.
SkyCam 9 flew over the 326-acre property on Friday which revealed the significant progress of the demotion of the race course that began in June, when the NFL team got permits to tear down the exterior of the building.
Demolition of the interior began in May with the completion of the exterior teardown initially expected to take until the end of the year, but it appears they may be ahead of schedule based on the video from SkyCam 9 on Friday.
The office, paddock, and jockey building started to be demolished in the fall and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
While the Bears own the property, which they purchased for $197.2 million, they still have not fully committed to building a new stadium.
In a tussle with local governments over property taxes, the Bears announced that the property was no longer the "singular focus" for a new stadium. Since then, a number of municipalities have expressed their interest in being hosts for a new stadium.
The Bears announced in September that they wouldn't pursue legislative support in Springfield during the Illinois General Assembly's fall session.