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November 1, 2009Cincinnati Enquirer endorses Issue 6 as "well worth the mere 37 cents a month it would cost "» Learn More
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Architecture
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Originally conceived as a neoclassical structure, Union Terminal was eventually designed as a modern building because of the high costs of executing a neoclassical design during the onset of the Depression. Roland A. Wank of Fellheimer and Wagner served as the principal architect on Union Terminal with Paul Philippe Cret.
In 1933, entry to the terminal was through the main doors or through side entrances from the three vehicular tunnels reserved for taxicabs and interurban buses. Today, visitors to Cincinnati Museum Center use the main doors; the tunnel entrances have been closed and the space converted to exhibition areas. The main doors open into the enormous, open concourse, or Rotunda. The ceiling and pilasters are finished in acoustic plaster. The ceiling is especially striking with its arc of silver and the surrounding bands of silver with shades of yellow and orange. The marble used in the building is Red Verona.
The original seating used in the Rotunda was red and tan leather-covered settees and chairs arranged in groups rather than the traditional rows of wooden benches. The digital clock on the present-day information kiosk was on the original Rotunda magazine stand. The floor of the Rotunda is covered with terrazzo in a pattern using light terrazzo and contrasting darker bands to reflect the arched form of the dome.
A women's lounge area preserved from the Terminal's train days shows the breadth of the building's detailed design. The noted muralist Pierre Bourdelle was commissioned to create panels for the semi-circular entrance to the women's lounge. Using his favorite motif of jungle animals, Bourdelle created carved and lacquered linoleum panels that serve as background to the deep brown leather benches in the lounge. Elsewhere, the building boasts unusual and irreplaceable art such as that found in the Cincinnati Dining Room. Named for the stylized map of the city wallpapered to the ceiling, also created by Bourdelle, the wood and marble room is now used for meetings and social functions.