Transit Station Activation on West Side brings historic home movies from the neighborhood to life

December 19, 2024

In May, the RTA announced more than $120,000 in funding for eight Transit Station Activation pilot projects near CTA, Metra, and Pace stations and stops. The projects bring activities near transit, create a welcoming environment, and help address real or perceived public safety issues. The Transit Station Activation pilot program was launched following the RTA Public Transit Safety and Security Summit in February 2024. The Summit brought together nearly 80 riders, transit professionals, and stakeholders to explore holistic solutions to the safety issues the transit system is facing.

Beginning December 10, the Chicago Film Archives began projecting home videos from the neighborhood onto a wall inside CTA’s Cicero Green Line station on the border of West Side neighborhoods Austin and West Garfield Park.

“Because most of these films are so private, they exude a feeling of safety and love and connectedness,” said Nancy Watrous, Founder and Executive Director of the Chicago Film Archives. “With home movies, everybody knows each other, everybody is part of the shenanigans, and so I think that is the safety component of home movies, and also relatability: There’s something universal in home movies and the way they’re made.”

Four families’ home movies are projected on a loop at the Cicero station, including the Anthony family.

“I live in this community, the Austin community, and at first I was like, ‘No, I don’t want to display my videos’—but then when I thought about the history of the community, I said, ‘You know what, why not?’” said Robbie Anthony. “I’m excited to see this and for people to see that this is our community.”

Paul Norrington’s family videos are also part of the project. In 2019, his family celebrated their 150^th birthday as part of Chicago.

“I thought our movies were lost, and I happened to run across them,” Norrington said. “I turned to a friend who suggested that I use [the Chicago Film Archive’s] services. Once I got there, I found out about this project.”

Marlise Fratinardo submitted the Nichilo Family Collection to the project, featuring videos of her grandparents from the 1940s and ’50s in North Lawndale.

“I wasn’t really aware of these films because they just lived in my parents’ basement; we didn’t have a projector,” Fratinardo said. “And then I inherited them about 10 years ago and had them digitized, and it just blew me away to see the footage. I’m so excited to share, to be part of this—I love all of this footage. It brings us all closer together.”

Watrous said the installation tells an authentic story of the West Side and has the power to make people feel a sense of pride in their community on their commute.

“I just think that it’s kind of gratifying to be seen,” she said. “And I think particularly in this social media time, this is the most authentic type of footage that we could see these days. They weren’t meant to be public, unlike social media where there’s a lot of posturing and influencing. This is the real deal in terms of authenticity.”

In July, the first Transit Station Activation launched: weekly yoga in Uptown along the CTA’s #36 bus route, which runs every Friday through the year from 11 a.m. to noon. In August, activations took place near CTA Loyola Red Line station and in Joliet. In September, activations took place at CTA Morse Red Line station in Rogers Park and the Cottage Grove Green Line station in Woodlawn. In November, Metra hosted a Harvest Fest to celebrate the completion of the 147^th Street station reconstruction project on the Metra Electric Line in Harvey.

As the final Transit Station Activation of the year, on December 21 the Maywood Chamber of Commerce will host a one-day cultural festival centered on the Maywood Metra station along with nearby Pace bus service on 5th Avenue.

Learn more about this year’s Transit Station Activation pilot projects.