Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Encyclopedia
The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, originally Cincinnati Union Terminal, is a passenger railroad station in the Queensgate
neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. After the decline of railroad travel, most of the building was converted to other uses, and now houses museums, theaters, and a library.
and Midwestern
states with railroads serving the South
. However, intercity passenger traffic was split among no fewer than five stations in Downtown Cincinnati, requiring the many travelers who changed between railroads to navigate local transit themselves. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad
, which operated through sleepers with other railroads, was forced to split its operations between two stations. Proposals to construct a union station
began as early as the 1890s, and a committee of railroad executives formed in 1912 to begin formal studies on the subject, but a final agreement between all seven railroads that served Cincinnati and the city itself would not come until 1928, after intense lobbying and negotiations, led by Philip Carey Company president George Crabbs. The seven railroads: the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
; the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad; the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
; the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
; the Norfolk and Western Railway
; the Pennsylvania Railroad
; and the Southern Railway
selected a site for their new station in the West End, near the Mill Creek
.
and Steward Wagner, with architects Paul Philippe Cret
and Roland Wank
brought in as design consultants; Cret is often credited as the building's architect, as he was responsible for the building's signature Art Deco
style. The Rotunda
features the largest semi-dome
in the western hemisphere
, measuring 180 feet wide and 106 feet high.
was commissioned to design and create two 22 foot (6.7 m) high by 110 foot (33.5 m) long color mosaic
mural
s depicting the history of Cincinnati
for the rotunda, two murals for the baggage lobby, two murals for the departing and arriving train boards, 14 smaller murals for the train concourse representing local industries and the large world map mural located at the rear of the concourse. Reiss spent roughly two years in the design and creation of the murals. Many of these murals were removed during subsequent renovations and placed on display at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The 14 industries chosen to be depicted were:
of the east flood plain of the Mill Creek to a point nearly level with the surrounding city, a massive effort that required 5.5 million cubic yards of landfill. Other improvements included the construction of grade separated
viaduct
s over the Mill Creek and the railroad approaches to Union Terminal. The new viaducts the Union Terminal Company created to cross the Mill Creek valley ranged from the well built, like the Western Hills Viaduct, to the more hastily constructed and shabby, like the Waldvogel Viaduct
. Construction on the terminal building itself began in 1931, with Cincinnati mayor Russell Wilson
laying the mortar for the cornerstone. Construction was finished ahead of schedule, although the terminal welcomed its first trains even earlier on March 19, 1933 when it was forced into emergency operation due to flooding of the Ohio River
. The official opening of the station was on March 31, 1933. The total cost of the project was $41.5 million.
During its heyday as a passenger rail facility, Union Terminal had a capacity of 216 trains per day, 108 in and 108 out. Three concentric lanes of traffic were included in the design of the building, underneath the main rotunda of the building: one for taxis, one for buses, and one (although never used) for streetcars. However, the time period in which the terminal was built was one of decline for train travel. By 1939, local newspapers were already describing the station as a white elephant
. While it had a brief revival in the 1940s, because of World War II, it declined in use through the 1950s and the 1960s. In July 1958, Union Terminal was witness to the end of an era as the last mainline passenger steam train in the United States, the Norfolk and Western #603, originated in Cincinnati.
In 1971, after the creation of Amtrak
, train service at Union Terminal was reduced to just two trains a day, the George Washington and the James Whitcomb Riley. Amtrak abandoned Union Terminal the next year, opening a smaller station elsewhere in Cincinnati on October 29, 1972.
purchased some of the land to use for its own expanded freight operations in its Gest Street yard. The Southern planned on removing the 450 feet (137.2 m) long passenger train concourse to allow additional height for its piggyback operations. On May 15, 1973 the Cincinnati City Council's Urban Development and Planning Committee voted 3–1 in favor of designating Union Terminal for preservation as an historic landmark, preventing Southern Railway from destroying the entire building. In 1974, the Southern Railway did tear down most of the train concourse, an action that has since been regretted by the railroad. Before the concourse was destroyed, the fourteen mosaic murals depicting important Cincinnati industries were removed by Besl Transfer Company from the concourse and installed at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
. The only mural which was not preserved was the world map, which was destroyed when the concourse was removed.
Several plans were floated for reuse of the building in the 1970s, including a plan to locate a Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
transit hub and the School for Creative and Performing Arts
in the building, but these never materialized.
real estate development group the Joseph Skilken Organization converted the terminal into a shopping mall known as the "Land of OZ". This was projected to be a family entertainment and shopping complex including a shopping area, roller skating rink, bowling alleys, and restaurants. Skilken invested upwards of $20 million in renovations preparing the terminal in the hope that this would revitalize the complex and help keep people in downtown Cincinnati.
These plans were put into action and on August 4, 1980, after 23 months of conversion construction, the mall had its Grand Opening, with 40 tenants. The complex drew on average 7,900 visitors per day and it would see a high of 54 shops or vendors. The recession of the early 1980s caused the project to fall on hard times. In 1981 the first tenant moved out and by 1982 the number of tenants had fallen to 21. Also in August 1982, the Cincinnati Museum of Health, Science and Industry opened in the terminal. The OZ project officially closed in 1984. However, Loehmann's
, a clothing store located in the rotunda remained open until 1985. The passenger drop off ramps that ran under the rotunda were used for a weekend flea market for several years.
was one of the major proponents of saving the building and transforming it into a museum. It was opened in 1990 and now provides a home to six organizations:
The renovations also allowed Amtrak
to restore service to Union Terminal via the thrice-weekly Cardinal on July 29, 1991. Of the seven Ohio stations served by Amtrak, Cincinnati was the third busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 40 passengers daily.
The Cincinnati Railroad Club occupies "Tower A" above the station, offers public access to the space, and serves as a museum for the former rail yard and station's innovative interlocking system of remote-controlled track switches.
design of Union Terminal inspired the look of the Hall of Justice
, the iconic headquarters of DC Comics
' Justice League
. The Hall of Justice first appeared in the Superfriends animated TV series of the 1970s. It is still used today in DC's current Justice League
comics series.
Union Terminal's radio-like design also appears briefly in Batman Forever
(represented by a matte painting
) as "the Hippodrome," a sports arena. In the film, it is the place where the Haley Bros. Circus performs, and where Dick Grayson
's family is killed by Two-Face
.
Queensgate, Cincinnati, Ohio
Queensgate is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. It sits in the same valley as downtown Cincinnati and has been dominated by industrial and commercial warehouses for most of its history. Cincinnati's nickname of "Porkopolis" started here with hog slaughtering in the early 19th century. Queensgate...
neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. After the decline of railroad travel, most of the building was converted to other uses, and now houses museums, theaters, and a library.
Background
Cincinnati was a major center of railroad traffic in the late 19th and early 20th century, especially as an interchange point between railroads serving the NortheasternNortheastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
and Midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
states with railroads serving the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. However, intercity passenger traffic was split among no fewer than five stations in Downtown Cincinnati, requiring the many travelers who changed between railroads to navigate local transit themselves. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
, which operated through sleepers with other railroads, was forced to split its operations between two stations. Proposals to construct a union station
Union station
A union station is the term used for a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them...
began as early as the 1890s, and a committee of railroad executives formed in 1912 to begin formal studies on the subject, but a final agreement between all seven railroads that served Cincinnati and the city itself would not come until 1928, after intense lobbying and negotiations, led by Philip Carey Company president George Crabbs. The seven railroads: the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
; the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad; the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States....
; the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
; the Norfolk and Western Railway
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
; the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
; and the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
selected a site for their new station in the West End, near the Mill Creek
Mill Creek
- In Canada :*Mill Creek, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality*Mill Creek, Cumberland, Nova Scotia, in Cumberland country- In the United States :*Mill Creek, California, a town in Tehama County...
.
Architecture and design
The principal architects of the massive building were Alfred T. FellheimerAlfred T. Fellheimer
Alfred T. Fellheimer was an American architect who was lead architect for New York Grand Central Terminal and Cincinnati Union Terminal....
and Steward Wagner, with architects Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret
Paul Philippe Cret was a French-American architect and industrial designer. For more than thirty years, he headed the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.- Biography :...
and Roland Wank
Roland Wank
Roland A. Wank was a Hungarian modernist architect, best known for his work for the Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States.Wank was educated at the Royal Joseph Technical University in Budapest...
brought in as design consultants; Cret is often credited as the building's architect, as he was responsible for the building's signature Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style. The Rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
features the largest semi-dome
Semi-dome
A semi-dome, also called a "half-dome", is the term in architecture for half a dome , used to cover a semi-circular area. Similar structures occur in nature.-Architecture:...
in the western hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
, measuring 180 feet wide and 106 feet high.
The Murals
German artist Winold ReissWinold Reiss
F. Winold Reiss was a German-born American artist and graphic designer. He was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, the second son of Fritz Reiss who was a well-known landscape artist...
was commissioned to design and create two 22 foot (6.7 m) high by 110 foot (33.5 m) long color mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s depicting the history of Cincinnati
History of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati was founded in 1788 by John Cleves Symmes and Colonel Robert Patterson. Surveyor John Filson named it "Losantiville" from four terms, each of different language; meaning "The city opposite the mouth of the River," "ville" is French for "city," "anti" is Greek for "opposite," "os" is...
for the rotunda, two murals for the baggage lobby, two murals for the departing and arriving train boards, 14 smaller murals for the train concourse representing local industries and the large world map mural located at the rear of the concourse. Reiss spent roughly two years in the design and creation of the murals. Many of these murals were removed during subsequent renovations and placed on display at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The 14 industries chosen to be depicted were:
- Piano making (Baldwin Piano CompanyBaldwin Piano CompanyThe Baldwin Piano Company was the largest US-based manufacturer of keyboard instruments, most notably pianos. It remains a subsidiary of the Gibson Guitar Corporation, although it ceased domestic production of pianos in December 2008.-History:...
) - Radio broadcasting (Crosley Broadcasting CorporationCrosley Broadcasting CorporationThe Crosley Broadcasting Corporation was a radio and television broadcaster founded by radio manufacturing pioneer Powel Crosley, Jr.. The company was an early operator of radio stations in the United States. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Crosley's flagship station was WLW...
) - Roof manufacture (Philip Carey Co.)
- Tanning (American Oak Leather Co.)
- Airplane and parts manufacture (Aeronca Aircraft CompanyAeronca AircraftAeronca, contracted from Aeronautical Corporation of America, located in Middletown, Ohio, is a US manufacturer of engine components and airframe structures for commercial aviation and the defense industry...
) - Ink making (Ault & Weiborg Corp.)
- Laundry-machinery manufacture (American Laundry Machine)
- Meat packing (Kahn'sKahn'sKahn's is an American meat processing and distribution company based in Ohio.-History:Originally from Alberschweiler in Bavaria, Germany, 45 year old Elias Kahn immigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, in 1880 with his wife and nine children. Cincinnati, also known as "Porkopolis", had previously...
Meat Packing) - Drug and chemical processing (William S. Merrill Co.)
- Printing and publishing (U.S. Playing Card Co.United States Playing Card CompanyThe United States Playing Card Company, started in 1867, produces and distributes many brands of playing cards, including Bicycle, Bee, Hoyle, Kem, and others, plus novelty and custom cards, and other playing card accessories such as poker chips. The company was once based in Cincinnati, Ohio, but...
and Champion Paper Company) - Foundry products operations (Cincinnati Milling Machine)Foundry products operations (Cincinnati Milling Machine)Foundry products operations was a subsidiary operation of the Cincinnati Milling Machine Company , a company which no longer exists. Some parts of the company evolved into the present Milacron, Inc. and Cincinnati Machine. CMM relied heavily on castings for the manufacturing of its machine tool...
- Sheet steel making (American Rolling Mills and Newport Rolling Mill)
- Soap making (The Procter & Gamble Co.Procter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
) - Machine tools manufacture (Cincinnati Milling Machine).
Construction
The Union Terminal Company was created to build the terminal itself, the railroad lines into and out of the terminal, and other related transportation improvements. Construction and improvements began in 1928 with the regradingRegrading
Regrading is the process of raising and/or lowering the levels of land; such a project can also be referred to as a regrade. Regrading may be done on a small scale or on quite a large scale...
of the east flood plain of the Mill Creek to a point nearly level with the surrounding city, a massive effort that required 5.5 million cubic yards of landfill. Other improvements included the construction of grade separated
Grade separation
Grade separation is the method of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
s over the Mill Creek and the railroad approaches to Union Terminal. The new viaducts the Union Terminal Company created to cross the Mill Creek valley ranged from the well built, like the Western Hills Viaduct, to the more hastily constructed and shabby, like the Waldvogel Viaduct
Waldvogel Viaduct
The Waldvogel Viaduct, also called the Waldvogel Memorial Viaduct, is a bridge-like construction on the west side of Cincinnati, OH connecting the Sixth Street Expressway with River Road , Elbron Avenue and Warsaw Avenue...
. Construction on the terminal building itself began in 1931, with Cincinnati mayor Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is a quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. Wilson formerly played for the NC State Wolfpack football and baseball teams before transferring for his final season of eligibility in 2011...
laying the mortar for the cornerstone. Construction was finished ahead of schedule, although the terminal welcomed its first trains even earlier on March 19, 1933 when it was forced into emergency operation due to flooding of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The official opening of the station was on March 31, 1933. The total cost of the project was $41.5 million.
Operation
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
. While it had a brief revival in the 1940s, because of World War II, it declined in use through the 1950s and the 1960s. In July 1958, Union Terminal was witness to the end of an era as the last mainline passenger steam train in the United States, the Norfolk and Western #603, originated in Cincinnati.
In 1971, after the creation of Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, train service at Union Terminal was reduced to just two trains a day, the George Washington and the James Whitcomb Riley. Amtrak abandoned Union Terminal the next year, opening a smaller station elsewhere in Cincinnati on October 29, 1972.
Named trains of Cincinnati's Union Terminal
| Name | Operators | Year begun | Year discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... |
1977 | |
| Cincinnati Limited Cincinnati Limited The Cincinnati Limited was a named train of the Pennsylvania Railroad; the train traveled from New York City's Pennsylvania Station to the Cincinnati Union Terminal. It was a rival to New York Central's Ohio State Limited. The Cincinnati Limited carried connecting Sleeping cars to the Louisville... |
PRR Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... , PC |
1971 | |
| Cincinnati Mercury | NYC New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States... |
||
| Cincinnatian | B & O Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which... |
1947 | 1971 |
| Cavalier | N & W Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence.... |
||
| George Washington | C & O, Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... |
1974 | |
| Humming Bird Humming Bird (passenger train) The Humming Bird was a named train of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad . The train, inaugurated in 1947, originally ran from Cincinnati, Ohio to New Orleans, Louisiana, via Louisville, Nashville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile, and later via a connection at Bowling Green, Kentucky to... |
L & N Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business... |
1968 | |
| James Whitcomb Riley | NYC New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States... , PC, Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... |
1977 | |
| Metropolitan Special Metropolitan Special The Metropolitan Special was the workhorse passenger train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad during the 1920s–1960s between New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. The New York station was actually in Jersey City, New... |
B & O Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which... |
1971 | |
| National Limited National Limited The National Limited was the premier train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on its route between New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. The all-Pullman version of the National Limited was introduced by the B&O on April 26,... |
B & O Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which... |
||
| Northern Arrow Northern Arrow The Northern Arrow was one of the named passenger trains of the Pennsylvania Railroad serving St. Louis, Missouri, Cincinnati, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It used the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, a leased subsidiary of the Pennsylvania system... |
PRR Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... |
1961 | |
| Ohio State Limited Ohio State Limited The Ohio State Limited was a named passenger train of the New York Central Railroad, which either started or terminated at Grand Central Terminal in the heart of New York City to or from the Cincinnati Union Terminal. The Ohio State Limited was the Central's answer to the Pennsylvania Railroad's... |
NYC New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States... , PC |
||
| Pan-American Pan-American (passenger train) The Pan-American was the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's state-of-the-art train linking the U.S. cities of Cincinnati, Ohio and New Orleans, Louisiana. Service started in 1921 and in 1940 was reequipped with streamlined, lightweight equipment in the way of diners, sleepers, lounges, and... |
L & N Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business... |
1921 | 1971 |
| Pocahontas Pocahontas (passenger train) The Pocahontas was one of the named passenger trains of the Norfolk and Western Railway. Its route ran from Norfolk, Virginia to Cincinnati, Ohio.... |
N & W Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence.... |
1971 | |
| Powhatan Arrow Powhatan Arrow The Powhatan Arrow was one of the named passenger trains of the Norfolk and Western Railway. Its route ran from Norfolk, Virginia to Cincinnati, Ohio.... |
N & W Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence.... |
1946 | |
| Royal Palm Royal Palm (passenger train) The Royal Palm was a named train of the Southern Railway which ran from Cincinnati, Ohio to Jacksonville, Florida and then on the Florida East Coast Railway to Miami, Florida. The train was discontinued in 1970.-Operations:... |
SOU Southern Railway (US) The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894... |
||
| Xplorer | NYC New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States... |
1956 |
Abandonment and reduction
After Amtrak abandoned the station, Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
purchased some of the land to use for its own expanded freight operations in its Gest Street yard. The Southern planned on removing the 450 feet (137.2 m) long passenger train concourse to allow additional height for its piggyback operations. On May 15, 1973 the Cincinnati City Council's Urban Development and Planning Committee voted 3–1 in favor of designating Union Terminal for preservation as an historic landmark, preventing Southern Railway from destroying the entire building. In 1974, the Southern Railway did tear down most of the train concourse, an action that has since been regretted by the railroad. Before the concourse was destroyed, the fourteen mosaic murals depicting important Cincinnati industries were removed by Besl Transfer Company from the concourse and installed at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport , sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are...
. The only mural which was not preserved was the world map, which was destroyed when the concourse was removed.
Several plans were floated for reuse of the building in the 1970s, including a plan to locate a Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority , is the public transport agency serving Cincinnati, Ohio and its suburbs. The agency operates transit bus services under the name Metro...
transit hub and the School for Creative and Performing Arts
School for Creative and Performing Arts
The School for Creative and Performing Arts is a magnet arts school in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and part of the Cincinnati Public Schools...
in the building, but these never materialized.
Shopping mall
In 1978, Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
real estate development group the Joseph Skilken Organization converted the terminal into a shopping mall known as the "Land of OZ". This was projected to be a family entertainment and shopping complex including a shopping area, roller skating rink, bowling alleys, and restaurants. Skilken invested upwards of $20 million in renovations preparing the terminal in the hope that this would revitalize the complex and help keep people in downtown Cincinnati.
These plans were put into action and on August 4, 1980, after 23 months of conversion construction, the mall had its Grand Opening, with 40 tenants. The complex drew on average 7,900 visitors per day and it would see a high of 54 shops or vendors. The recession of the early 1980s caused the project to fall on hard times. In 1981 the first tenant moved out and by 1982 the number of tenants had fallen to 21. Also in August 1982, the Cincinnati Museum of Health, Science and Industry opened in the terminal. The OZ project officially closed in 1984. However, Loehmann's
Loehmann's
Loehmann's is a chain of off-price department stores in the United States.Loehmann's is best known for its "Back Room," where women interested in fashion can find designer clothes at prices lower than in department or specialty stores...
, a clothing store located in the rotunda remained open until 1985. The passenger drop off ramps that ran under the rotunda were used for a weekend flea market for several years.
Museum Center (and a return to use as a train station)
The terminal lay empty for the next decade or so. In May 1986 the voters of Hamilton County passed a bond levy to save the terminal from destruction and to transform it into the Cincinnati Museum Center. Former Cincinnati mayor Jerry SpringerJerry Springer
Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer is a British-born American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991...
was one of the major proponents of saving the building and transforming it into a museum. It was opened in 1990 and now provides a home to six organizations:
- Cincinnati History MuseumCincinnati History MuseumThe Cincinnati History Museum is an urban history museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It opened in 1990.The museum includes costumed interpreters....
- Museum of Natural History & Science
- Robert D. Lindner Family Omnimax Theater
- Cincinnati Historical Society Library
- Duke Energy Children's Museum
- The Cincinnati Railroad Club
The renovations also allowed Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
to restore service to Union Terminal via the thrice-weekly Cardinal on July 29, 1991. Of the seven Ohio stations served by Amtrak, Cincinnati was the third busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 40 passengers daily.
The Cincinnati Railroad Club occupies "Tower A" above the station, offers public access to the space, and serves as a museum for the former rail yard and station's innovative interlocking system of remote-controlled track switches.
In Popular Culture
The Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
design of Union Terminal inspired the look of the Hall of Justice
Hall of Justice (comics)
The Hall of Justice is the fictional headquarters of the Super Friends, in the eponymous animated series. It has subsequently been incorporated into the DC Comics main shared universe, the DC Universe as the new headquarters of the Justice League....
, the iconic headquarters of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
. The Hall of Justice first appeared in the Superfriends animated TV series of the 1970s. It is still used today in DC's current Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
comics series.
Union Terminal's radio-like design also appears briefly in Batman Forever
Batman Forever
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Returns , with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman...
(represented by a matte painting
Matte painting
A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive or impossible to build or visit. Historically, matte painters and film technicians have used various techniques...
) as "the Hippodrome," a sports arena. In the film, it is the place where the Haley Bros. Circus performs, and where Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
's family is killed by Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
.
Sources
- Darbee, Jeffrey T. (2003). A Tale of Three Cities:The Union Stations of Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Indiana Historical Society on-line.
- Mecklenborg, Jake(2005). Cincinnati-Transit.net.
- Spurlock, William(2005). The Railroad Architecture of Alfred T. Fellheimer.
- The Railroad and the City, A Techonological and Urbanistic History of Cincinnati, Written by Carl W. Condit. 1977, Ohio State University Press. ISBN 0-8142-0265-9
- Works Progress Administration(ed. Harry Graff)(1943). WPA Guide to Cincinnati: Cincinnati, a guide to the Queen City and its neighbors. Cincinnati: The Cincinnati Historical Society. ISBN 0-911497-04-8.
External links
- Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal website
- Northern Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Cincinnati Historical Society Library website
- Building review incorporating images from the Historic American Buildings Survey
- The Railroad Architecture of Alfred T. Fellheimer
- Union Terminal Mosaics
- 360˚ interactive panoramas of Union Terminal Exterior and rotunda
- Railroads of Cincinnati Contemporary and historical Cincinnati railroads
- Cincinnati Union Terminal Photos – interior and exterior
- Union Terminal Photographs