Cincinnati Union Terminal, "Gateway to the City"

The city of Cincinnati, Ohio situated along the Ohio River is uniquely located, in terms of our nation’s railroad grid, to be the terminus or major artery of several Northeastern, Southeastern, and Midwestern railroads. These railroads included the Baltimore & Ohio, Chesapeake & Ohio, Louisville & Nashville, Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central System, Southern Railway, and Norfolk & Western. For years these railroads used five different stations to serve their passenger trains. However, in the early 20th century local businessman George Dent Crabbs convinced the seven to jointly build a centralized union terminal to serve not only passenger operations but also freight.

His efforts paid off and in 1927 the Cincinnati Union Terminal Company was born to oversee construction of the new building. Architects Fellheimer and Wagner of New York City built the station and as was common in those days CUT was constructed in the Art Deco style featuring a beautiful arched façade with a large centered clock and fountain to greet visitors as they pulled up to the building.

To properly adorn the interior German artist Winold Reiss was commissioned to design several mosaic murals portraying the history of Cincinnati. To the say the least it was a breathtaking station once completed and officially opened to the public on March 31, 1933.

Unfortunately, while this building was stunning in appearance it was built far too late to ever see its full potential realized. By the time Cincinnati Union Terminal opened rail travel was waning as air travel and automobiles were increasing in popularity and reliability. A brief upturn in traffic during World War II was of little solace as by war’s end traffic began the long decline, which would not recover.

By the 1960s railroads were looking for a way out of the passenger market and in 1971 the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (or Amtrak) was signed into law by President Richard Nixon, which began operations on May 1st of that year. Soon afterward the new passenger carrier reduced service to just two trains a day and by the fall of 1972 abandoned the terminal all together.

Not long after the building’s use as a train station was discontinued it was in danger of being destroyed all together as the Southern Railway made plans to use the ground for expanded yard service. However, in the spring of 1973 the forward thinking of the Cincinnati City Council saved the building and designated it an historic city landmark.

While the station’s concourse was destroyed by the Southern but the rest of the building was saved and today houses three museums, a theater, library, and of course, is a station stop for Amtrak’s Cardinal.

To learn more about the Cincinnati Union Terminal please visit their official website by clicking here.

For more reading about Cincinnati Union Terminal you might want to consider the book Cincinnati Union Terminal: The Design and Construction of an Art Deco Masterpiece from authors Gibson Yungblut, Linda Rose, and Patrick Rose (and published by the Cincinnati Railroad Club). The authors give an excellent historical account of the building’s construction, downfall, and revival into a multiuse building today. If you have any interest in CUT you should very much enjoy the book.

For more reading about railroad stations in general you might want to consider a copy of Railroad Stations from author Brian Solomon. While the book is just a very general overview of some of the great stations that once stood in this country it is quite good with lots of historical photographs, including that of Grand Central Terminal and the late Pennsylvania Station (it also gives a history of the thousands of small depots that existed in most communities). All in all if you’re interested in stations and depots you’re sure to enjoy Mr. Solomon’s book on the subject.