During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Cincinnati was considered a key railroad city connecting the east and west coasts of the United States. It served seven different trunk lines in five different stations scattered throughout the city. The seven rail lines were the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, the Southern Railway, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Norfolk and Western Railway, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. By the 1890s, the citizens of Cincinnati decided that a unified freight and passenger terminal was needed. However, because of railroad dispute and budget concerns, it was not until 1927 that the dream of a unified station was realized. With the help of George Dent Crabbs, a prominent and respected Cincinnati businessman, all seven railroads determined the terminal’s location and source of funding. The new terminal would be owned and operated by the Cincinnati Union Terminal Company, which was formed in 1928. Members consisted of H.A. Worchester (President), George Crabbs (Vice President), and Colonel Henry M. Waite (Chief Engineer). Colonel Waite selected the architectural firm of Fellheimer and Wagner, who was one of the leading architectural firms in the nation specializing in train station designs, and Paul Cret as the architectural critic and atheistic adviser. The original plan of Cincinnati Union Terminal was neo-classical in design and remained that way until work had begun on the building foundations. Shortly after the building was underway, the design was changed to an art deco design. Colonel Wagner attributed this change to the economical benefits of the art deco style (less superficial decoration meant that the terminal was cheaper to build) and to provide the station with a new, fresh and joyous atmosphere. When the station opened on March 31, 1933, it was warmly received, yet people were skeptical about its fate as a railroad station. During the construction of the terminal, passenger railroad traffic through Cincinnati had declined forty percent. Within six years of the terminal’s opening, the press had started to dub the terminal “the white elephant”. By 1942, the Cincinnati Transit Authority asked its architects to look into converting part of the terminal into a motor bus garage. The idea was later abandoned due to lack of funds. A bright point in the terminal’s history occurred during World War II. Due to wartime traffic, the terminal experienced its first and only time of running at full capacity. By 1944, the station was serving over 34,000 passengers a day. However, this success would not last long. Due to the expansion of interstates and airlines in the 1950s, railroad travel in the United States was severely declining. By 1953, the terminal saw only 51 trains come through the station daily. By 1962, that number had decreased to 24 trains daily and by the early 1970s the terminal only had 2 trains come through the station daily. By 1970, the Cincinnati Union Terminal Company was starting to take desperate measures to recoup their losses. They offered to give the terminal to the City of Cincinnati, which the City ultimately rejected. In May 1971, Amtrak took over all passenger service at the terminal. However, this only lasted a year and a half. On October 28, 1972, the last passenger train, the George Washington, pulled away from the station. Scribbled on the arrival board were the words, “CUT 1933-1972 died young”. In December 1972, the Southern Railway System purchased the land at the terminal site and part of the station from the Union Terminal Company. The concourse was to be used for a piggy-back freight operation but Southern Railway System soon discovered that the modern freight cars were too large to pass through the existing structure. Southern Railway knew that they either had to raise the building or demolish it in order to make the facility work for their needs. After hearing of Southern Railway System’s idea to raze the concourse, members of the Save the Terminal Task Force (an official body appointed by the Mayor of Cincinnati to preserve Union Terminal) recognized that it might be necessary to remove Reiss’ concourse mosaics in case the building was destroyed. They tried to raise funds to buy the building, but ultimately failed. In January of 1973, the Greater Cincinnati Airport offered to take the fourteen industrial murals from the terminal concourse. This was a fortuitous move because in February of that same year the wrecking of the platform canopies began. This was followed by the separation of the concourse from the rotunda on August 1, 1973.In 1975, the City of Cincinnati bought the Rotunda and fifteen acres of surrounding land for $3 million. They ran advertisements in the Wall Street Journal that read, ”World-famous Cincinnati Union Terminal for lease $1 per year”. In the meantime, the Cincinnati Board of Education asked the architectural firm of Hardy, Holzman, Pfeiffer and Associates to plan a School for the Creative and Performing Arts on the upper public floors of the terminal. Additionally, George F. Roth and Partners were asked by the City of Cincinnati to plan for a maintenance and storage facility for the local bus company on its lower floors. By the end of 1975, an agreement was reached by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), Amtrak, the School for the Creative and Performing Arts and the City of Cincinnati relating to the use of the Terminal as a School and a bus maintenance facility. While the outlook of the terminal was starting to look optimistic, it did not last long. On April 28, 1976, SORTA withdrew from the terminal use agreement and the Cincinnati School Board was quick to follow suit.In 1978, the City of Cincinnati leased the terminal for $2 a year to a Columbus developer, the Joseph Skilken Organization, who wanted to turn the facility into a shopping mall, complete with a roller skating rink, a human pinball machine, restaurants, bowling alley, and shops. These elaborate plans never fully came to existence, but in 1980, the mall opened with forty tenants. The mall’s success did not last long, and ultimately closed its doors in 1984 due to financial problems.In 1985, the Museum of Natural History and the Cincinnati Historical Society chose the terminal as a preferred site for a Heritage Center (later called the Museum Center). On May 6, 1986, Cincinnatians passed a levy that raised $33 million to convert the terminal into a Museum Center. In addition, the State of Ohio and the City of Cincinnati provided grants for $8 million and $3 million respectively. On November 9, 1990, the first stage of the museum opened to the public. It contained the Cincinnati Historical Society Museum and Library, the Museum of Natural History, and an OMNIMAX Theater. Eight years later, the Children’s Museum also moved in to the terminal in order to join the existing museum complex. Cincinnati Union Terminal also began operating as a passenger terminal again when Amtrak decided to return to the station on June 29, 1991.

Late 1931: Building changed from neoclassical to art deco design. February 1973: Platform canopies demolished; August 1, 1973: Wrecking crews separated the concourse from the rotunda; August 16, 1973: Industrial murals in concourse were moved to the Greater Cincinnati International Airport; 1978: The Joseph Skilken Organization bought the terminal. The building was converted into a shopping mall; August 4, 1980: The Skilken shopping mall opened; 1984: The Skilken shopping mall closed; 1986: A levy was passed to turn the terminal into a museum complex. Restoration began on the rotunda. Restoration efforts were led by architect Arthur Hupp II from the architectural firm of Glaser and Associates; June 23, 1990: The Cincinnati Railroad Club started restoring “Tower A” as their meeting place, museum, and library; November 9, 1990: The first stage of the museum opened to the public. It contained the Cincinnati Historical Society Museum and Library, the Museum of Natural History, and an OMNIMAX Theater; August 1991: The Cincinnati Railroad Club moved into “Tower A” and opened the Railroadiana Museum; October 1998: The Children’s Museum moved into the terminal.

The terminal currently operates as a museum complex. The complex includes the Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, and Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater.

The terminal is in good condition and is well maintained. Many of the original features, such as the train concourse, which has been replaced with the OMNIMAX theater, and the fourteen industrial murals that once adorned the concourse terminal (now located in the Greater Cincinnati Airport)are missing. The rotunda has been restored to its original colors, the linoleum panels in the ladies restroom (near the dining room) are original as is the information kiosk digital clock (originally located on the rotunda magazine stand).

The front façade of the building is constructed of Indiana limestone over a granite base. The semi-circular façade terminates in two, broad, Indiana limestone pilasters containing 30’ high relief sculptures, designed by Maxfield Keck, representing transportation in a female form and commerce in a male form. The grounds directly in front of the main entrance consist of a landscaped vista and multi-level illuminated fountain. The windows, sashes and doors of the main entrance, as well as the marquee are polished aluminum and glass. The clock in the center of the arched entrance measures 16’ in diameter and is constructed of white glass with red glass hour positions. The hands are outlined with red neon lights for night illumination. All other facades of the building are constructed using light colored brick. The half dome is cinder concrete over steel and faced with terra cotta (the terra cotta was replaced with aluminum in 1944).The rotunda dome is 180’ in its interior diameter. The clear height from the finished floor to the center is 106’. A warm, vibrant color palette of yellows, oranges and browns were selected by Winold Reiss for use in the rotunda. Two murals of glass tile mosaic designed by Reiss, measuring 25’ high x 105’ wide occupy this space. The left-hand mural depicts the history of America while the right-hand mural focuses specifically on the history of Cincinnati. Designs in the terrazzo floors, colored in gray, rose and tan, guided passengers to important features of the building. Aluminum was used to decorate the platform entrances, windows, grilles, lighting fixtures, train board, kiosk and ticket windows. The train concourse waiting area was located in the rear of the building. It was 450’ long x 80’ wide and was located directly on top of the platforms and station tracks. The lower portion of the concourse consisted of 7 platforms and 14 tracks. Each platform was 28’ wide and 1580’ long to accommodate the stairs and ramps that gave each platform access from the waiting area above. This allowed passengers quick access to their assigned car. The concrete platforms were covered with canopies spanning 80’ between columns. The roof was constructed of Truscon I-Plates covered with Carey built-up roofing. The tracks were designed as a through station plan. This meant that trains would pull up to the station, allow passengers to load and then proceed forward out of the station. Located on the north and south walls of the waiting area was Reiss’ fourteen glass mosaics in a colored cement plaster background measuring 20’ square that showcased various industries of Cincinnati. Seating in the waiting area was comprised of American Oak leather seats in aluminum frames. Originally, the neoclassical plan called out for wooden benches to line the wall, but, instead, the new art deco plan placed the leather seats in twelve concentric groups of forty-six seats each around a small ornamental table.Considerable attention was given to the artificial lighting. Indirect, flood lights were hidden by moldings or ledges and unconcealed, ornamental lighting fixtures were constructed of simple yet distinctive shapes. Lighting was used to reveal key features in the building’s design such as the murals and the rotunda dome.Much thought was put into the planning of the front entrance to the station. Private cars, taxicabs and buses were all given separate lanes to drop-off and pick-up passengers. These vehicles would enter through the north wing and exit through the south wing.Lacking only living accommodations the station had everything travelers would need. The station’s accommodations included a drugstore, clothing stores, a barber shop, a Western Union, a bakery, a bookstore, a beauty parlor, a first-aid station, a cafeteria, a tea room and places to grab a quick snack, sit down for a formal dinner, get your shoes shined, and even take a shower. In addition, a small, air conditioned theater showed newsreels while passengers waited for their trains.

One of the major hurdles the Terminal had to undergo was the site itself. Located in Mill Creek Valley, the land had to be elevated as much as sixteen feet in some areas to raise it above the floodplain. This required a two year waiting period from the time the fill was placed and the date it could be used for construction. However, lack of rainfall during this two year period along with a shortened construction schedule led them to ultimately pump high pressure water into the fill in order to expedite the settling process. Special engineering was also needed in the construction of the rotunda dome. The roof consists of both a barrel arch that has a span of 209’ and a width of 27’, and a half dome that is 180’ wide by 128’ deep. It was found that steel arches were not feasible in the construction of the dome as the height of the spring line above the foundations would have resulted in buttresses to counteract the outward thrust of the arch. Instead eight custom, curved trusses were used, ranging in span length from 67’-8” to 209’. Engineers had to accommodate the deflection that such a long span would receive under their full load (as much as one foot in some areas). In order to overcome this problem, the trusses were fixed to the columns at one end of the supporting structure, while at the other end the columns were tipped in at their tops by the amount of the computed lengthening of the trusses under load. Then, as the falsework was struck and the roof load was applied, the consequent lengthening of the distance between the two ends of the trusses pushed the tops of the columns back into the plumb position The large expanse of glass at the front entrance actually consists of two walls of windows with a space between. Walkways, on five different levels, span between the walls, one of which leads to a room directly behind the clock in order to facilitate any maintenance or repairs. The walkways were constructed of glass in order to make them disappear from both the inside and outside.

The terminal is located in Mill Creek Valley allowing easy access by all seven railroads. It was comprised of twenty two structures (including the Western Hills Viaduct, a cooling station, machine shop, power plant, roundhouse, car service building, and a post office) on over 287 acres of land.

The half dome is reported to be one of the largest half domes in the world. The intent was for the building to overwhelm its passengers so that they felt that they had arrived at an important place. The large entrance arch was to be perceived as the gateway to the city.

The change in the terminal’s design to art deco was a direct result of two things. One was simply the economic advantage of designing without providing unnecessary ornamentation. This was important as the project had begun just a few months before the crash of the stock market in October 1929. Undoubtedly the financial crisis plaguing the nation had taken its toll on the funding for this project. Additionally, the simpler forms of the building led them to ultimately complete the project nine months ahead of schedule.The second item was the impression that the Cincinnati Union Terminal Company wanted to express to visitors of the terminal. This impression was one of warmth and invitation. The curved wings that flanked the arched entrance were designed to welcome the visitor with open arms. Additionally, the murals in both the concourse and rotunda paid homage to the working class in both Cincinnati and America. These were a popular attraction to visitors of the station. They portrayed the working class as heroic and hard-working.

The design of Cincinnati Union Terminal began to address the issues of what to do with a building's function. Originally the terminal was designed to follow the classical ideas of what a building should look like in the 1920s. This meant a formal, symmetrical plan with classical columns, ornamentation, and an orderly interior into which the function of the building was squeezed. However, Alfred Fellheimer came to believe that a building should be honest and simple in its expression and provide opportunities to explore new materials and techniques. He addressed this issue in the June 1932 edition of Pencil Points. In this article, Fellheimer discussed his ideas of contemporary design as “changes in social relations and requirements, progress in science, development in manufacturing methods and availability of new and distant building materials, and their consequent effects upon living conditions” (page 383). Fellheimer ultimately got a chance to express this in Cincinnati Union Terminal. The plan was tightened to rid itself of unnecessary features. Additionally, new building techniques were addressed in order to form the rotunda dome. The building expressed the functions held within in honest, geometric shapes.

Like many modern architects, Fellheimer was concerned about how to express a space. He stated in the June, 1932 edition of Pencil Points that his own conviction was “honesty and simplicity of architectural expression are practical and enduring principles and that only by adherence to them can the emotional and spiritual elements reach the highest value” (page 388-389). Like many modern architects, form was of utmost importance to him, yet it went beyond that. Architecture was not simply a collection of shapes but one that reached deeper and addressed the human experience of a space. It was not necessarily a complete break from the traditional forms, but an abstraction of them.

The goal of the station design was achieved both architecturally and socially. Colonel Waite, the terminal engineer, stated that they “decided that the Terminal, which leads into all parts of the world should be as bright and gay as the flowers and birds of the open country”, the effects of the bright colors “was joyous and stimulating”. Cincinnati Union Terminal was exciting to the citizens of Cincinnati in its new forms and shapes. It achieved the desires of the architects, engineers, artists, and owners and was ultimately a successful project in its architectural features.

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