Your Blue Line commute just got a little more retro. The CTA recreated a 1950s-style sign at the Racine station’s Loomis Street entrance, bringing a piece of Chicago transit history back above the Eisenhower Expressway.
Inspired by the signage installed when the original Congress Line opened in 1958, the new marquee features the messages “Use Rapid Transit” and “4 Minutes to Loop.” Despite its old-school glow, the sign uses modern LED tubing designed to look like neon.
A rebuilt entrance with a mid-century look
The sign is part of a larger reconstruction of the station’s Loomis Street entrance, which reopened October 5 after approximately a year of work. Riders will also find recreated circular CTA-logo door handles that echo the entrance’s original design.
Designed by HNTB with guidance from the CTA, the retro signage forms part of a preservation agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office. That agreement allowed the agency to modernize the main Racine Avenue entrance while reconstructing the Loomis entrance to retain its historic character. To see the updates, head to 431 S. Loomis St.
Riders who need elevator access should use the station’s main entrance at 430 S. Racine Ave.
More glimpses of Chicago’s past
Racine isn’t the only CTA stop where historic design remains part of the everyday commute. Quincy station in the Loop preserves a late-19th-century look, with wooden ticket booths, stamped-tin ceilings and vintage-style details alongside modern accessibility improvements.
