Cincinnati Union Terminal

Cincinnati Union Terminal
Amtrak intercity train station
Main (east) facade
General information
Location1301 Western Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
Owned byCity of Cincinnati
Line(s)CSX Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform (originally 8)
Tracks2 (originally 16)
ConnectionsLocal transit SORTA Metro route 49
Construction
AccessibleYes[N 1]
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: CIN
History
OpenedMarch 19, 1933[2]
ClosedOctober 29, 1972; reopened July 29, 1991[2]
Passengers
FY 20238,303[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Connersville
toward Chicago
Cardinal Maysville
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Indianapolis
toward Chicago
James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington
1971–1972
Ashland
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station
Delhi
toward St. Louis
St. Louis Line Winton Place
toward Cumberland
Terminus Toledo Division Winton Place
toward Detroit
Cincinnati – Pittsburgh Winton Place
toward Pittsburgh
Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station
Terminus Main Line Covington
Brighton
toward Hammond
Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad Terminus
Preceding station Louisville and Nashville Railroad Following station
Covington Main Line Terminus
Terminus CincinnatiAtlanta Covington
toward Atlanta
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Delhi
toward Chicago
ChicagoCincinnati Terminus
Terminus CincinnatiCleveland Dayton
toward Cleveland
Winton Place
toward Cleveland
CincinnatiToledo Winton Place
toward Toledo
Preceding station Norfolk and Western Railway Following station
Terminus Main Line Clare
toward Norfolk
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Winton Place
toward Chicago
Chicago – Cincinnati Terminus
Terminus Cincinnati – Cleveland Winton Place
toward Cleveland
Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway Oak Street
toward Lebanon
Preceding station Southern Railway Following station
Cincinnati Junction New OrleansCincinnati Terminus
Proposed services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Oxford
toward Chicago
Cardinal Maysville
toward New York
Coordinates39°6′36.0″N 84°32′16.1″W / 39.110000°N 84.537806°W / 39.110000; -84.537806
Area287 acres (116 ha)
Built1928–1933
Restored2016–2018
ArchitectFellheimer & Wagner
Architectural style(s)Art Deco
Visitors1.8 million (in 2019)[4]
WebsiteAmtrak station listing
DesignatedMay 5, 1977
Reference no.72001018
DesignatedOctober 31, 1972
Reference no.72001018
DesignatedMarch 6, 1974
Reference no.0079-1974
Location
Map

Cincinnati Union Terminal is an intercity train station and museum center in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Commonly abbreviated as CUT,[5] or by its Amtrak station code, CIN, the terminal is served by Amtrak's Cardinal line, passing through Cincinnati three times weekly. The building's largest tenant is the Cincinnati Museum Center, comprising the Cincinnati History Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Cincinnati History Library and Archives, and an Omnimax theater.

Union Terminal's distinctive architecture, interior design, and history have earned it several landmark designations, including as a National Historic Landmark. Its Art Deco design incorporates several contemporaneous works of art, including two of the Winold Reiss industrial murals, a set of sixteen mosaic murals depicting Cincinnati industry commissioned for the terminal in 1931. The main space in the facility, the Rotunda, has two enormous mosaic murals designed by Reiss. Taxi and bus driveways leading to and from the Rotunda are now used as museum space. The now-demolished train concourse held all 16 of Reiss's industrial murals, along with other art and design features.

The Cincinnati Union Terminal Company was created in 1927 to build a union station to replace five local stations used by seven railroads. Construction, which lasted from 1928 to 1933, included the creation of viaducts, mail and express buildings, and utility structures: a power plant, water treatment facility, and roundhouse. Six of the railroads terminated at the station, which they jointly owned, while the Baltimore and Ohio operated through services.[6]

Initially underused, the terminal saw traffic grow through World War II, then decline over the following four decades. Several attractions were mounted over the years to supplement declining revenues. Train service ended in 1972, and Amtrak moved service to a smaller station nearby. The terminal was largely dormant from 1972 to 1980; during this time, its platforms and train concourse were demolished. In 1980, the Land of Oz shopping mall was constructed inside the station; it operated until 1985. In the late 1980s, two Cincinnati museums merged and renovated the terminal, which reopened in 1990 as the Cincinnati Museum Center. Amtrak returned to the terminal in 1991, resuming its role as an intercity train station. A two-year, $228 million renovation was completed in 2018.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference CIN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 2003CUT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Ohio" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference visits was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference RA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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