NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal

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. Nickname: The Queen City Location in Hamilton County, Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Hamilton Founded 1788 Incorporated 1819 Mayor Mark L. Mallory (D) Area - City 206. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area Ranked 34th - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 kmÂ²) - Width 220 miles (355 km) - Length 220 miles (355 km) - % water 8. ... The Cardinal is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. ... Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street Station in 1865. ... Nickname: The Queen City Location in Hamilton County, Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Hamilton Founded 1788 Incorporated 1819 Mayor Mark L. Mallory (D) Area - City 206. ...

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1442 KB) Outside shot of the Cincinnati Museum Center File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1442 KB) Outside shot of the Cincinnati Museum Center File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Cincinnati-union-terminal. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Cincinnati-union-terminal. ...

Background

Cincinnati was a major center of railroad traffic in the late 19^th and early 20^th Century, especially as an interchange point between railroads serving the Northeastern and Midwestern states with railroads serving the South. However, intercity passenger traffic was split between no fewer than five stations in Downtown Cincinnati, requiring the many travelers who changed between railroads to navigate local transit themselves.^[1] The Louisville and Nashville Railroad, which operated through sleepers with other railroads, was forced to split its operations between two stations.^[2] 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.^[1] 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. The states in dark red are usually included, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Northeastern United States. ... Midwest as shown by U.S. Census Bureau official map from [3] Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... General Census definition: The Census Bureau official, general perspective of all the Southern 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. ... A union station or union terminal is a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them. ... 1876 map The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) is one of the oldest railroads in the United States, with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to the Ohio River at Wheeling and Parkersburg, West Virginia. ... The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from many smaller railroads begun in the 19th century. ... The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. ... 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 (N&W) (AAR reporting marks NW), a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. ... 1893 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad that was founded in 1846 and merged in 1968 into Penn Central Transportation. ... The Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark SOU) 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. ... Mill Creek could refer to: Mill Creek in Tehama County, California Mill Creek, a city in Snohomish County, Washington Mill Creek, a town in Randolph County, West Virginia Mill Creek Township in Mercer County, Pennsylvania Mill Creek Township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Mill Creek School in Philadelphia The Mill Creek...

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 regrading 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.^[2] Other improvements included the construction of grade separated viaducts 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,^[1] to the more hastily constructed and shabby, like the Waldvogel Viaduct.^[3] 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,^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]} An example of a four-level stack interchange in the Netherlands. ... Torontos Bloor Street Viaduct bridges the Don valley; road traffic uses the upper deck, rail traffic uses the lower deck. ... Prior to 1925, the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, was elected in a separate, partisan election. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Ohio River is the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Architecture and design

The principal architects of the massive building were Alfred T. Fellheimer and Steward Wagner, with architects Paul Philippe Cret and Roland Wank brought in as design consultants; Cret is responsible for the building's signature Art Deco style. At the time of its completion, it was the only half-dome in the Western Hemisphere^{[citation needed]}, and the largest in existence.^[1] Paul Philippe Cret (October 24, 1876, Lyon, France â€“ September 8, 1945, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a French-American architect and industrial designer. ... Roland Wank Roland Wank (1898â€“1970) was a Hungarian modernist architect, best known for his work for the Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States. ... Asheville City Hall. ...

The Murals

German artist Winold Reiss was commissioned to design and create two 22 foot high by 110 foot long color mosaic murals 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. The 14 industries chosen to be depicted were: Winold Reiss (1886-1953) was born September 16, 1886 in Karlsruhe, Germany. ... Mosaic is the art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. ... Salle des illustres, ceiling painting, by Jean AndrÃ© Rixens. ... Cincinnati was founded in 1788 by John Cleves Symmes. ...

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 155 KB) One of the mural replicas now present in Cincinnati Museum Center File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 155 KB) One of the mural replicas now present in Cincinnati Museum Center File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Operation

During its heyday, 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.^[1] 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.^[1] a historic postcard showing electric trolley-powered streetcars in Richmond, Virginia, where Frank J. Sprague successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888 A streetcar is a railway vehicle designed to carry passengers on tracks, usually laid in city streets. ... A white elephant is a supposedly valuable possession whose upkeep costs exceed its usefulness, and it is therefore a liability. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33... This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1958. ... Norfolk and Western Railway (AAR reporting mark: NW), a US class 1 railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. ...

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.^[1] Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... ... The James Whitcomb Riley was one of the trains running on Amtrak on Amtraks startup date of May 1, 1971. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Link title==Abandonment and reduction== Part of the Style and how-to series Shortcut: WP:HEP See also Help:Editing, m:Help:Editing, m:Help:Starting_a_new_page Wikipedia is a WikiWiki, which means that anyone can easily edit any unprotected article and have those changes posted immediately to that page. ...

After Amtrak abandoned the station, Southern Railway 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 foot 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 which they now say that they wish had never taken place. 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. The Southern Railway (AAR reporting mark SOU) 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. ... Chicago and Northwestern Railways Proviso Yard in Chicago, Illinois, December 1942. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ... The term National landmark may refer to one of two programs of the United States government: National Historic Landmark National Natural Landmark Also see: Listed building (United Kingdom equivalent) This is a disambiguation page â€” a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (IATA: CVG, ICAO: KCVG) is located in Hebron, Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. ...

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 ultimately went nowhere.^[1] Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (aka SORTA), more commonly known as Metro, is the transit agency serving Cincinnati, Ohio and surrounding areas. ... The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) is a selective arts school servicing grades 4-12 (with plans to expand to K-12) in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and is part of the Cincinnati Public School System. ...

Shopping mall

In 1978, Columbus, Ohio 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. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Nickname: The Arch City The Discovery City Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Franklin, Delaware, and Fairfield - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area - City 550. ...

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 of 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. August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Loehmanns is an American discount department store chain. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Museum Center

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 Springer 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 five organizations: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 696 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 696 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Talk show host Jerry Springer This article is about the talk show host. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... The Cardinal is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sources

References

External links

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | 1933 architecture | Art Deco | Cincinnati, Ohio | History museums | Living museums | Museums in Ohio | Science museums | Amtrak stations | Union stations | Landmarks in Ohio | Transportation in Ohio | Railway stations in Ohio | Stations along Baltimore and Ohio Railroad lines | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | Stations along Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway lines | Louisville and Nashville Railroad | Norfolk and Western Railway | Stations along Pennsylvania Railroad lines west of Pittsburgh | Southern Railway (US) Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... In the waiting room of the Union Station, January 1943 Union Station is a Chicago, Illinois train station that opened in 1925, replacing an earlier 1881 station, and is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago. ... The Cardinal is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. ... The Maysville (Amtrak station) is in the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Station. ... For the Pennsylvania Station in Newark, New Jersey or Baltimore, Maryland, see Pennsylvania Station (Newark) or Pennsylvania Station (Baltimore). ...

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