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Cincinnati Union Terminal

Cincinnati Union Terminal

1301 Western Avenue, West End

Fellheimer & Wagner, architects

1929-1933 

National Historic Landmark

National Civil Engineering Landmark



The Cincinnati Union Terminal is an icon and landmark in Cincinnati and it is known around the world as a prime example of Art Deco architecture. With its massive half dome, the gently stepped exterior contains two immense figural reliefs. Large vertical windows flood the rotunda with light.  A huge clock face is set in a pair of stepped pilasters. The interior features a 106-foot--high rotunda that holds a pair of massive mosaic murals depicting the history of this region. The massive scale and level of detail create a space that is awe-inspiring. 


The Cincinnati Union Terminal has been named one of the Top 50 architecturally significant buildings in America by the American Institute of Architects. It is the largest half-dome in the western hemisphere and was the last of the great train stations built in America.


During World War II, Union Terminal served as the major point of departure for hundreds of thousands of service members throughout the Midwest. When peace returned, however, traffic declined as people increasingly traveled by auto and by air. The concourse was demolished to accommodate double-stack freight trains, and the entire building faced demolition. 


Instead, in 1990 voters approved a tax levy to transform the terminal into the Cincinnati Museum Center. The beloved station became home to the Cincinnati Historical Society and library, Museum of Natural History and Science, Children’s Museum and Omnimax Theater. After a two-year closure for a massive renovation, the Museum Center reopened in 2018. The Holocaust and Humanity Center opened in the lower level in January 2019.


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