Posted March 23, 200817 yr Great interactive piece by the Cincinnati Enquirer on the history of Cincinnati Union Terminal, inlcuidng photos, videos and stories: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080323/CINCI01/303230012 Photo Gallery: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20080321&Kategori=LIFE&Lopenr=803210807&Ref=PH
March 25, 200817 yr ^ Very nice! Here is a bit from the H-D -- Union Terminal marks 75 years as Cincinnati landmark Herald-Dispatch, March 24, 2008 CINCINNATI (AP) — The city’s Union Terminal, a 75-year-old landmark that was one of the last grand train stations built in the U.S., has enjoyed a rebirth as a museum center but needs $120 million in renovations, officials said.
March 25, 200817 yr 125 Million bucks, who will get the money first Union Terminal or the Streetcars?
March 25, 200817 yr ^Union Terminal will get their money via private donors and grants. The streetcar will get its money through a variety of sources. Both will eventually happen, but at this stage in the game...streetcars are MUCH further ahead. All the streetcars really need is 1 vote of approval from City Council - something we've been waiting 5 months for now.
March 30, 200817 yr Visitors have fond train memories Birthday party pulls celebrants from miles away BY KEITH T. REED | [email protected] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080330/NEWS01/803300390/1056/COL02 When Roland Johnson was a baby in 1932, his mother took him by subway from their Brooklyn, N.Y., home to a Manhattan studio to be sketched for a mural going up in a new Midwestern train depot.
March 31, 200817 yr "Officials are allowing the general public to vote either in person or on the Museum Center's Web site on what will be buried in the next capsule in October." They're different types of rail, obviously, but how about copies of the Metro Moves plan from 2002 and the Cincinnati Streetcar Study, detailing the city's struggles to bring rail transit back into use, decades after Union Terminal's "retirement"?
October 15, 200816 yr Amazing building. Art Deco at its best. The museum is great, but lets get more Amtrak (and maybe commuter) trains back in there.
October 15, 200816 yr Union Terminal has always had the power to leave me slack jawed every time I am there. It is truly inspiring to be inside that half-dome. The paint just seems to glow.
October 17, 200816 yr Amazing building. Art Deco at its best. The museum is great, but lets get more Amtrak (and maybe commuter) trains back in there. I know I'm the minority in this, but I wouldn't mind seeing a new facility built for the museum center, and have the terminal back in business as a rail hub. I just don't think the Museum Center needs all that space.
October 17, 200816 yr ^ You could let the museum keep all of they space they're currently in and just rebuild the huge concourse that was torn down behind the current structure. I think we're a couple decades away from realistically seeing enough demand for that large of a train hub, but it would be pretty easy to do. I forget exactly how to get to it, but there's a tucked away elevator right before you get to the Omnimax that will take you up to some train enthusiast club in the old control tower. They're open to the public and have a ton of old pictures of Union Terminal and the concourse. Plus a giant control board. Pretty cool stuff.
October 17, 200816 yr Well--first, they'd have to get funding to eliminate the horrible bottleneck we have right now. Next or concurrently, they sure really start doing some smart redevelopment of the Queensgate and West End areas, such that Downtown is actually connected with these key facilities (including the main post office). I suppose that's for a different forum though.
October 23, 200816 yr ^ I have often thought the same thing. There is too much potential over there to not include it in the city scape. I think the hardest thing for the west side are the barriers of the I-75 and the train tracks. I would love to see I-75 buried or at least minimized.
October 24, 200816 yr ^ Made bigger you say? Glad to tell you, plans are underway to fulfill all your wildest dreams!
May 24, 200916 yr Union Terminal working on expanded landmark status: http://www.wlwt.com/video/19547638/
May 26, 200916 yr Lots of fun images with article link... Museum Center seeking expanded landmark status http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/05/museum-center-seeking-expanded-landmark.html The Cincinnati Museum Center announced an effort to expand the scope of Union Terminal's National Historic Landmark status at a press conference Saturday morning. Timed to coincide with special Memorial Day weekend programming at the Cincinnati History Museum, the announcement of the expanded designation would recognize the building's contribution as an important home front location during World War II. Union Terminal was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was recognized as a National Historic Landmark for its art deco architecture in 1977. "This building is our organization's most precious artifact," said Cincinnati Museum Center president and CEO Douglass W. McDonald. "With this effort, Museum Center is seeking to give proper recognition for Union Terminal and the role that it played for so many brave soldiers serving this country." Throughout the war, Union Terminal served as a major transportation hub for military personnel and their families, increasing its passenger count three-fold between 1940 and 1944 and averaging more than 34,000 passengers a day at its height. In 1941, Union Terminal's Rookwood Room became home to the first Troops in Transit lounge in the country, serving more than 3.3 military men and women during its five years of operation, checking more than 2.2 million pieces of luggage, sending out more than a million pieces of mail, and caring for more than 4,000 babies of service personnel. Organized by representatives from the Travelers' Aid Society, Federation of Churches, the Catholic Women's Club and the Federation of Jewish Women's Organization, the lounge soon came under the operation of the USO. "It was the women of Cincinnati who made this happen," said Cincinnati Historical Society Library director Ruby Rogers, who has assembled many of the artifacts detailing the wartime history of Union Terminal. "And remember that this was a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, so Cincinnati really was at the forefront." In 1942, a "Quiet Room" was established with six screened cots to allow GI's a chance to rest in between train connections, and, later that year, an additional three rooms were added to provide a total of 52 cots. In 1943, the station's balcony was converted into a lounge for women and children, caring for an average of 200 babies a month and furnished with couches, cribs, canned milk, strained foods, karo syrup, and diapers. By 1944 and 1945, USO spaces at Union Terminal operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "It was an incredible job, and it shows what character these women of Cincinnati had, and what contributions they made," Rogers said. "They were the army behind the army." The approximately 400 women who served at the lounge did everything from organizing, to hosting, to baking cookies. "Now I know some people think baking cookies is not a big deal, but let me remind you that food was rationed during World War II," she said. "The basic ingredients of cookies – flour, sugar, eggs, milk, butter – when these women baked cookies and brought them to Union Terminal every month, it meant their families didn't have them. So the little things were important." Unlike other USO facilities in Cincinnati and across the country, the lounge was not segregated. "To me, one of the most significant things about the USO in Union Terminal is that it was integrated, unlike the U.S. military, and unlike other USO locations in Cincinnati and across most of the country," Rogers said. "We need to remember that." Connie Pillich, state representative (D-28th) and United States Air Force veteran, sees the value in the Museum Center's effort. "As a veteran of the United States military, I hold Memorial Day in a very special place in my heart," she said. "And the men and women who died for our country deserve all of the recognition we can give them and more." To Pillich, the history and significance of the building is "immeasurable". "Not just to the Tri-State, but to the entire country," she said. "Think of the memories that these halls hold. As we move forward in this process, I look forward to supporting the Cincinnati Museum Center and Union Terminal as much as I can, because the process of designating some place as a National Historic Landmark is extremely important, and I can't think of any place more deserving than this building right here." McDonald said that the Cincinnati Museum Center intends to be successful in its effort. "The Museum Center's always been proud to be in one of the few places that's a National Historic Landmark, but we really think it's important that we expand the designation," he said. "That it be known not only as a National Historic Landmark because of the marvelous architecture, but to be recognized as a National Historic Landmark because of the historic events and the unique role this building has played in the history of our community and our nation."
September 29, 200915 yr I'm surprised that this hasn't been mentioned at all, here or in general, leading up to the election. Issue 6 in Hamilton County 6 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (RENEWAL AND DECREASE) HAMILTON COUNTY A majority affirmative vote is necessary for passage. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ A renewal of part of an existing levy, being a reduction of 0.02 mill to constitute a tax for the benefit of Hamilton County, Ohio, for the purpose of SUPPLEMENTING THE GENERAL FUND TO PROVIDE FOR MAINTENANCE, OPERATION, AND REPAIR OF A PUBLIC BUILDING, THE CINCINNATI UNION TERMINAL, OCCUPIED BY THE CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER at a rate not exceeding eighteen-hundredths (0.18) mill for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to one and eight-tenths cents ($0.018) for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for five (5) years, commencing in 2009, first due in calendar year 2010.
August 19, 201014 yr I've just heard that URS Corporation in Cincinnati will be conducting a limited conceptual study for the City of Cincinnati of track modifications at CUT to allow for the temporary storage of rolling stock for public display by the CUT and potentially as a layover or passenger loading track for future passenger rail service beyond current Amtrak Cardinal operations. As I understand it, this work is not directly related to a forthcoming larger study of rail capacity issues in the Millcreek Valley sponsored by the Port Authority of Greater Cincinnati (let alone the engineering work for 3C Quick Start or environmental work for 3C High Speed by ODOT/ORDC). However it may offer some short-term options for a limited expansion of service to/from Cincinnati at CUT beyond a daily Amtrak Cardinal service. I'm wondering if the source of funding for making this happening is the CUT levy renewal, which I recall included some funds for rail station/trackside enhancements. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 19, 201014 yr Shoot, just getting daily Cardinal service in the first place would be a big step in the right direction.
August 20, 201014 yr Is this work meant for rolling stock as museum pieces? There has been talk in the past of starting a short tourist railroad of maybe a mile or so based out of CUT.
August 20, 201014 yr Is this work meant for rolling stock as museum pieces? There has been talk in the past of starting a short tourist railroad of maybe a mile or so based out of CUT. I thought that's what the trolley was for
August 20, 201014 yr Is this work meant for rolling stock as museum pieces? Yes, as well as for some limited expansion of Amtrak services that could terminate at Cincy. But no such service is being planned at this time (aside from 3C). They would like to have that ability or capacity, just in case. daily Amtrak Cardinal service :-o What do you know about this? Check out many of the rail discussion forums (at other sites, the ones which rail buffs visit). They seem to think it's a forgone conclusion, especially after Amtrak made the Sunset Limited daily. So do I. I thought that's what the trolley was for What trolley? Do you mean streetcar? If so, these are incompatible -- like putting a lightweight in the boxing ring with a heavyweight. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 20, 201014 yr Besides the 3C, nothing would be more valuable to Cincinnati's rail future than beginning daily Cardinal service ideally that terminates in Cincinnati or maybe Charleston/Huntington and runs at reasonable hours.
September 17, 201014 yr Work, well done!! Union Terminal rooms are back By Lauren Bishop • [email protected] • September 16, 2010 http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100916/ENT07/9170350/Union-Terminal-rooms-return Gallery http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=AB&Date=20100916&Category=ENT07&ArtNo=9160806&Ref=PH
February 28, 20187 yr The West End FCC Stadium proposal has caused me to spend a lot of time looking at the West End lately. If the stadium ends up getting built, development in West End will be kickstarted a few years earlier than expected. With that in mind, I've been spending some time thinking how we could leverage this development opportunity. I'm still new to this site, so I don't know if posts like this are welcome, but fair warning: the rest of the post is probably best described as Sim City urbanism. I found an interesting thread from 2007 discussing a proposal to redevelop the area around Union Terminal. Unfortunately the CincyPost link is broken: A vision for Union Terminal Plan revitalizes, expands facility http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NEWS01/707260384 Operators of Union Terminal, home of the Cincinnati Museum Center, are working on a multimillion-dollar plan to renovate and revitalize the historic building, expand the museums inside and create a multi-use retail, housing and greenspace development in what is now the center's parking lots. Museum Center leaders - who lease the 74-year-old building from the city of Cincinnati - have commissioned a highly detailed report, compiled by Philadelphia-based Hillier Architecture and Cincinnati-based Glaserworks, that outlines the plan. In it, the proposed "district master site plan" calls several new and improved features for the approximately 130-acre campus. Specifics include: "The Gateway Park District," a mixed-used development of buildings - none more than three stories high - that would line the existing parking lots on the north and south sides. Greenspace and a park in front of the terminal on what is now a circular drive, plus enhancements on the existing median landscaping. New parking garages on either side of the terminal, with connecting bridges to the main building. Safety improvements to the Dalton Street tunnel that runs underneath the front of Union Terminal. A high-speed rail station on the rear of the building to service future high speed trains, if they are built. More outdoor event and exhibit spaces, and better sight lines for the center from Interstate 75. A lot of the commentators were excited by this plan, as am I, eleven years later. I was hoping to get some input on how feasible the ideas in that discussion still are. Washington Park-ize UT's parking lot Ideally the existing parking lot could be excavated to build a below ground parking garage with a rebuilt Lincoln Park on top. I'm not sure how Union Terminal's elevated structure works, would it prevent this? Sight lines to Union Terminal should be maintained, so nearby lots should be used for parking garages in favor of the existing parking lot if excavation isn't possible. Increased rail service and high speed rail at UT I think we all agree this would be great, so I won't belabor it. New buildings to host museums I'm grateful the museums have been able to save Union Terminal, but I find the setup peculiar. If enough rail service were brought back to UT, I'd like if new buildings were built for the museums along Hopkins St. and Kenner St. abutting the new park. Chicago's Museum Campus isn't in a straight line, but is the best example of "museums in a park" that I'm aware of. I75 Cap at Ezzard Charles Probably couldn't happen until the Brent Spence project is finished, but I think a highway cap would be necessary to connect West End with a redeveloped UT Museum District. 75 is already submerged and relatively narrow at this location. Ezzard Charles Streetcar A streetcar expansion along Ezzard Charles to Union Terminal would connect a good part of the West End, the new stadium, and Union Terminal to the rest of the basin. By my measurements, it's a little over a mile long each way. This was considered as a potential expansion route in the 2007 streetcar feasibility. See page 9 at: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/streetcar/linkservid/17D4E8BF-EE36-4924-94AAFBB630857475/showMeta/0/ I suppose this line could also eventually be extended to the Casino and then somewhere like Eden Park or Gilbert Ave. What would the options be for the streetcar near Union Terminal? I see three options, but I don't know how feasible they would be. 1. Continue streetcar all the way down Ezzard Charles, crossing over at the front door, the fountain, or one of the roundabouts. 2. After crossing over 75, move to Kenner St. and Hopkins St., and connect under the Dalton Ave. underpass. 3. Use streetcar ramps to run streetcar through one the 3 portals in the "arms" of UT, as was originally intended. Jake answers most of my streetcar questions below. I'm still confused how the third option would work. Unless I'm looking at the wrong ramps, I don't see how they're wide enough for a streetcar: Here is a satellite image of the terminal. Obviously this reveals a big problem, that several active businesses would have to be relocated. Also, the approach to the terminal itself rises about 18 feet, forming a formidable wall for any buildings lining the park closer to the terminal building. On this image you can see where the streetcar ramps rose from Hopkins and Kenner, although I think I read once streetcar tracks were never actually laid through the terminal as was intended. Obviously using those exact ramps would mean using up some current exhibit space. Perhaps instead a streetcar track could be run through the redundant third lane of the Dalton St. tunnel and streetcar stops could be placed at the base of one of the old staircases that have been closed for many years: This gives some idea as to what survived surrounding the park after the terminal was built (it also illustrates the tremendous amount of earth that was moved to build the station tracks and their approaches above the flood plain): An old image of Lincoln Park. The building at left I believe is still standing: Another image of the park: And lastly the demolished bridge that carried streetcars to the Art Museum & Mt. Adams (and the incline). Not sure how wise a line heading between the museums via Central Parkway would be. Probably wiser to operate two separate lines that both originate at fountain square.
February 28, 20187 yr I don't like the idea of turning the parking lots into park space. I'd rather see them built on. The fountain area would still make a nice plaza and preserve room for taking photographs and getting a full view of the facade. Making a giant park would sacrifice the opportunity for transit-oriented development at what is naturally a transit hub. Union Terminal isn't placed very well for a downtown train station, given how far it is from the city center, and giving it a park setting only exacerbates the problem. Here's an archived version of that Post article: https://web.archive.org/web/20070825032524/http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070726/NEWS01/707260384
February 28, 20187 yr I found some more information on the Union Terminal streetcar ramps. http://jjakucyk.com/transit/ut/large-12.html http://jjakucyk.com/transit/ut/large-13.html So the outermost of the 3 arms of UT was for streetcars. It still looks incredibly narrow to me, but I did some measurements and maybe it's not as crazy as I thought. Using Google Maps' measure tool, those ramps look to be about 12ft wide. I measure the streetcar only lane on Central Parkway before turning right on Walnut to be about 14ft wide. So maybe it could work. Of course the UT streetcar portal is currently used by the museums, so this is all fantasy.
March 16, 20187 yr Union Terminal was designed to accommodate the 100 series cars from 1928. They were 44'-7 3/8" long and 8'-3 1/2" wide. By this time the width had crept up a bit from closer to 8' at the beginning of the century, though 44' was a pretty standard length until the PCC cars of the late 1930s that were 46' long and 8'-4" wide. Cincinnati's wide gauge track allowed for decent car widths, but the tight turns and narrow "devil strips" (the space between tracks going in opposite directions) of only 3'-6" instead of the usual 4' tended to keep lengths down since long cars would swing wide at curves and could cause a collision when two cars tried to pass. Interurbans generally wanted cars at least 9' wide and anywhere from 50' to 60' long, but ones that operated over the Cincinnati Street Railway to reach downtown had to stay pretty close to the streetcar dimensions (Cincinnati, Milford & Loveland cars of the era were 8'-6" wide but only 40' long).
April 26, 20187 yr Take a look at the progress on Union Terminal’s $213M restoration Cincinnati residents will get their first in-person peek at the ongoing work inside Union Terminal when the Duke Energy Children’s Museum reopens next weekend, but the Business Courier got a behind-the-scenes look at all of the spaces in the museum as its $213 million restoration continues. A giant, 350-ton crane is in place outside the museum. It’s moving 2,300 pieces of limestone and granite weighing up to 6,000 pounds back into place along the edges of the Museum Center’s fountain. The fountain, which was originally constructed along with the building in 1933, was taken apart and rebuilt with added waterproofing after the surrounding plaza was removed down to the ceiling of the Children’s Museum below. In the next few days a dark green terrazzo finish will be added to the fountain to restore it to the same look it had when it was built. “The new finish is going to be a bit darker than what people are used to, but we’re trying to bring the building back to what it was in 1933,” Museum Center director of communications Cody Heffner said. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/04/26/take-a-look-at-the-progress-on-union-terminal-s.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 20, 20186 yr Union Terminal will fully re-open following renovations on November 17, 2018: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/08/20/union-terminal-sets-opening-date.html
August 24, 20186 yr Cincinnati Museum Center expands dining, retail – and adds beer The Cincinnati Museum Center will have some new dining and retail options for visitors when it reopens to the public this fall. The Museum Center has expanded its contract with Service Systems Associates to manage its food service, catering and retail options. Those options will include three dining locations on the main concourse and two on the lower level along with one permanent retail location and others on a rotating basis. Cup and Pint will serve up flatbread pizzas and coffee in Union Terminal’s grand rotunda, but the biggest change to its offerings will be draft beer during the museum’s daytime hours. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/08/24/cincinnati-museum-center-expands-dining-retail-and.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 27, 20186 yr How more of Union Terminal got repaired than expected By Chris Wetterich – Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier Aug 27, 2018, 1:29pm EDT Updated 2 hours ago More of Union Terminal is being rehabilitated than originally was expected because of some extra funds available to the budget, Cincinnati Museum Center officials told Hamilton County commissioners on Monday. The Museum Center, which operates the building and is overseeing a massive rehabilitation project, said that it added a rebuild of the drum wall behind the rotunda mosaic murals and the west wall of the building where the Amtrak concourse was demolished in the 1970s. The drum wall is five stories tall. The west wall is just behind the Omnimax theater above the rail line. https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/08/27/how-more-of-union-terminal-got-repaired-than.html
August 30, 20186 yr One-of-a-kind dinosaur to join Museum Center's new exhibit this fall When Dinosaur Hall opens in the Cincinnati Museum Center this November, the new permanent exhibit will include a specimen that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world. The remains of a 30-foot-long Torvosaurus – a giant carnivorous dinosaur that roamed at the top of the food chain during the Late Jurassic period roughly 150 million years ago – will join five other dinosaurs in the exhibit within the Museum of Natural History & Science. The skeleton of the bipedal predator was found largely intact, making it especially important to paleontologists and researchers hoping to better understand the dinosaur’s anatomy and evolution. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/08/30/one-of-a-kind-dinosaur-to-join-museum-centers-new.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 14, 20186 yr Peek inside Union Terminal before it reopens this weekend: PHOTOS By Chris Wetterich – Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier Steve Swisher doesn’t hesitate when he’s asked what was the biggest challenge to the rehabilitation of Union Terminal, the historic art deco train station-turned-museum that is, debatably, Cincinnati’s most-important architectural marvel. “One of the biggest challenges and enemies is Mother Nature,” said Swisher, Turner Construction’s onsite manager for the project, noting the difficulty of protecting the precious murals that depict a series of diverse workers that line the building’s rotunda. The five-story drum wall behind the murals was rebuilt, leaving little between them and the elements. https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/11/14/peek-inside-union-terminal-before-it-reopens-this.html
November 14, 20186 yr 1 hour ago, The_Cincinnati_Kid said: Peek inside Union Terminal before it reopens this weekend: PHOTOS By Chris Wetterich – Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier Steve Swisher doesn’t hesitate when he’s asked what was the biggest challenge to the rehabilitation of Union Terminal, the historic art deco train station-turned-museum that is, debatably, Cincinnati’s most-important architectural marvel. “One of the biggest challenges and enemies is Mother Nature,” said Swisher, Turner Construction’s onsite manager for the project, noting the difficulty of protecting the precious murals that depict a series of diverse workers that line the building’s rotunda. The five-story drum wall behind the murals was rebuilt, leaving little between them and the elements. https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/11/14/peek-inside-union-terminal-before-it-reopens-this.html Stunning
January 4, 20205 yr I finally got a chance over the holiday period to visit the interior of Union Terminal, my first since the renovations (and third overall)., with @jjakucyk. I was blown away by the renovations. It didn't appear to change too much but a lot "behind the scenes" improvements were made. Of course, my visit was on a rainy weekend day and it was absolutely packed inside, with both parking lots in front nearly full. Owing probably to the renovations, there were a lot of exhibit areas that were empty but a lot of work seemed to be progressing on all fronts. I can't wait to revisit in warmer weather when the fountains are back on!
January 20, 20205 yr On 1/4/2020 at 11:18 AM, seicer said: I finally got a chance over the holiday period to visit the interior of Union Terminal, my first since the renovations (and third overall)., with @jjakucyk. I was blown away by the renovations. It didn't appear to change too much but a lot "behind the scenes" improvements were made. Of course, my visit was on a rainy weekend day and it was absolutely packed inside, with both parking lots in front nearly full. Owing probably to the renovations, there were a lot of exhibit areas that were empty but a lot of work seemed to be progressing on all fronts. I can't wait to revisit in warmer weather when the fountains are back on! I visited on Friday and was a little surprised at how much of the exhibits were still not finished. The front desk person mentioned the ice age exhibit was still not finished, but failed to mention pretty much all of the Cincinnati history exhibit was unfinished aside from the public landing area and the model of Cincinnati. Even that was not completely finished. Pretty disappointed that so much is still unfinished. I seem to recall being able to explore more of the building, but that was closed off as well.
January 20, 20205 yr I think something I didn't anticipate about the fountain was how the sound of the running water helps humanize the front plaza. It helps distract your brain from the fact that you're in an industrial area. I can't think of any airport I've visited where the approach was anything other than anxiety-inducing.
March 30, 20223 yr 6 hours ago, ucgrady said: I like the idea of redeveloping the lots in front of union terminal with parking and residential or office This is an awful idea. Union terminal is not Union terminal without that space in front of it, terminating the axis of Ezzard Charles It should be returned to its original function, as a park, but only when the area around it gets developed and a park makes sense. Before doing so, they could excavate the present lot (which is actually a mound that was built for Union Terminal) and put a parking garage below it.
March 30, 20223 yr 11 hours ago, zsnyder said: This is an awful idea. Union terminal is not Union terminal without that space in front of it, terminating the axis of Ezzard Charles It should be returned to its original function, as a park, but only when the area around it gets developed and a park makes sense. Before doing so, they could excavate the present lot (which is actually a mound that was built for Union Terminal) and put a parking garage below it. This. The approach to CUT should be preserved since it's beautiful. I think the area nearby will be the next area of Cincinnati to redevelop.
March 30, 20223 yr 11 hours ago, zsnyder said: This is an awful idea. Union terminal is not Union terminal without that space in front of it, terminating the axis of Ezzard Charles It should be returned to its original function, as a park, but only when the area around it gets developed and a park makes sense. Before doing so, they could excavate the present lot (which is actually a mound that was built for Union Terminal) and put a parking garage below it. I think we are saying the same thing I just threw parking/office/residential as one thing but I agree with what you're saying. Bring the park space back, place parking underneath it, and then flank the park/open space with new residential and/or office to provide users for the space.
March 30, 20223 yr 11 hours ago, zsnyder said: This is an awful idea. Union terminal is not Union terminal without that space in front of it, terminating the axis of Ezzard Charles I hear what you're saying, and I wouldn't want any infill that detracts from the presence/siting of Union Terminal. But I think there absolutely could be a well-designed site plan that maintains the view/approach of Union Terminal, helping frame it with respectful architecture. Currently it's surrounded by a sea of asphalt (streetview from corner of Ezzard Charles and Western Ave), and frankly I think it'd be too large of a park to turn all of that parking into greenspace. The parking lots are mostly at 500' and then it rises up to 530' for the entrance into Union Terminal. I like the idea of the lower portions of parking lots infilled with low/mid-rise buildings that frame the view of Union Terminal. They could start at 2 stories on Ezzard Charles and step back to more stories, ensuring the views of Union Terminal aren't disturbed.
March 30, 20223 yr 14 minutes ago, jwulsin said: I think it'd be too large of a park to turn all of that parking into greenspace. This now has nothing to do with a new arena, but I think a large, flat grassy park is actually something Cincinnati doesn't have. I know we aren't New York or Chicago but having a great lawn like central or grant park would be pretty amazing in that area and help anchor the flanks. I don't like how the road used to cut through it's middle. I think the open space would want to at least be the width of the main rotunda, but development could block the view of the flanks but it used to be pretty cool when it was all open too.
March 30, 20223 yr Grandiose buildings are better when they are framed by other buildings. A new mixed-use district with 10 story buildings lining Ezzard Charles would be amazing.
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