Of all the buildings in modern Cincinnati that add to
its charm, from Music Hall to the Great American Building, one structure in
particular personifies the city like no other.
Union Terminal, located on the
western edge of the city, has been the heart of the metropolis both from a
commercial and a cultural standpoint since its dedication in 1933. Prior to the advent of mass aerial transit
provided by airliners and the inauguration of the Interstate Highway System
that permitted comparatively straightforward movement between different regions
of the U.S., the railroad was the primary means of transportation that the
public relied upon.
It is
no small wonder, then, that the city of Cincinnati took the construction of a railroad
station the size of Union Terminal so seriously. Fifteen years prior to the dedication of the
building in question, the Cincinnati
Enquirer brought up the issue in a public notice that simply stated:
"Construction, Without Delay, of Adequate Railway Freight and Passenger
Terminals."[1] The end result, Union Terminal, more than
adequately met the standards posed by the community for several decades. However, as the age of commercial transit via
railroad drew to a close, the necessity of such a massive structure dedicated
solely to servicing a dying mode of transportation seemed less attractive. After a brief stint as a shopping mall, the
city opted to transform the structure into a museum. To this day, the Cincinnati Museum Center at
Union Terminal stands as a monument to the culture of Cincinnati, and a relic
of a commercial time long past. When the
Enquirer stated that the building
would become a "Gateway to a New Destiny"[2],
they were correct; but perhaps not in the sense that they had initially
intended.
Editorial Staff, "Gateway to a New Destiny."
Cincinnati Enquirer (1923-2009), March 31, 1933. 1.
https://search-proquest-com.research.cincinnatilibrary.org/docview/1882086433?accountid=39387.
[1] Editorial
Staff, "Gateway to a New Destiny." Cincinnati Enquirer (1923-2009),
March 31, 1933. 1.
[2]
Ibid, 1.
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