4/10/10: Cincinnati Museum Center

Where: 1301 Western Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45203
Cost: All Museums Pass $12.50 adults, $8.50 children. (Includes all three museums on site)
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10a-5p, Sun: 11a-6p.
Parking: on site, $6. The museum is also on the city bus network.

Once upon a time known as my senior year of high school, the Art League took a field trip to the Cinci Museum of Art, and then spent the afternoon "studying architecture" at one of the coolest buildings I've ever seen: The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. Back then, I only ventured through the Natural History museum, but I knew there was something special about this place and that I would eventually come back. Fast forward six years, to Tim & I kicking around this blog project and desperately wanting to get out of town for the day. Where do we head? You guessed it.

I don't really know where to begin with this one. From the time you catch that first glimpse of the building from the exit ramp, you know there is something special about where you're going. Pulling up into the parking lot gives you a full frontal view of what can only be described as a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture (Tim: It turns out that Tonee and myself are crazy for Art Deco. It was ultra modern and still sort of is).

Seriously. Look at that. GORGEOUS! And there are three museums, an Amtrak station, a food court, and a mini-museum tribute to the history of the station itself (Tower A).

We started this venture with the Cincinnati Area History Museum as neither of us had been to that part before. Walking in is what is undoubtedly a great labor of love - Cincinnati in Motion:

The model riverfront.

The model Union Terminal at its opening in 1933. (You can see here where what is now the two large museums were once traffic tunnels for unloading and loading of passengers for taxis and buses). (Tim: There is a third traffic tunnel that was never used. The Terminal Company wanted trolley lines for people but they trolley company didn't want to run anymore lines).

There is so much detail that not only do the inclines and streetcars move, but there's a little building on fire! We also found a man flying a kite, and several yellow puffs that we don't know the significance of yet. We plan on going back and finding all the puffs and then figuring out why they are where they are. Museum Center, we're on to your game!

Also part of the history side is a relic from the street car days that we, of course, had way too much fun playing in:

That pose was Tim's choice for the whole day. (Tim: It's the pose of a bold adventurer. I see nothing wrong with me choosing that pose for the day).

I opted for more silliness...you can't tell in the picture, but I'm this close to falling off the car. This is in the middle of the World War II exhibit, and it's just fascinating. Between this exhibit and Titanic at COSI in Columbus, we've decided we were born in the wrong era. (Tim: It's true. We love Art Deco and outmoded things. But is has to be around the 20s. The Edwardian society from the 10s isn't for me. I don't want to keep changing clothes. See the Titanic Post for that rant).

Towards the end of the War Era exhibit is this great Photo-Op of an ambulance plane. Yes, we know he's too big for that but we don't care. We didn't break it. (Tim: I don't know what's funnier, me trying to fit, or the name of the plane).

Hiding in a stairwell was this piece from the original murals that decorated the concourse. The rest of them are visible at the airport. (Tim: Not original, but a remake. All the murals but one are in the airport. The last one was taken with the passenger concourse).


Moving on they have a riverfront replica complete with historic actors. Talk about flashbacks for us old COSI relics. It took quite a bit of energy for me to not slip into character and insist that I was visiting from Progress. In here is also a steam-powered paddle boat to give you a good feel for how much Cincinnati thrived because of the river.

Hard to see, but the paddle is really moving and sitting in water. (Tim: It took me a while to realize that there is a button inside to start the wheel. After I found it, I pressed it....a lot....).

This was my attempt to be like Tim. I failed, but hey, I'm on the bow of the paddle boat and that automatically makes me awesome.

Of course, the master (Tim: Damn right. I've been rocking that look since '99) shows me how it's done back on the stern of the paddlewheeler. Seriously, we spent at least 15 minutes just exploring this replica!

Moseying right along, as part of the development of Cincinnati from a Fort to a thriving metropolis, the museum gives you plenty to read, look at...and play with. (Tim: We are such museum nerds, that we went out of our way to reset an exhibit about canal boats. Seriously, you know it's a problem when you do stuff like that and you aren't in your museum or volunteering at your museum).

Yes, I know that the little house and flat bottomed river boat were for the kids..but I couldn't resist. I don't know if you can tell, but I definitely got my butt stuck in that chair (Tim: It was hilarious). (I don't think I broke it, but if I did, I will replace it!)

Rounding out the History museum is the Machine shop, were they have real, WORKING, steam-powered power tools complete with the belt system and a completely awesome guy who not only explained how it all worked, but actually showed us. Take that, Ford Museum. This guy knew what he was doing!

Here you can see the belts in motion. The bar going horizontally across the top actually connects to all the tools in the shop. A single steam engine powered all of them!

Another offering with the Museum Center is a free tour to give you some history about the building itself. Of course the two of us absolutely had to do this tour (Tim: Tonee was so excited she said that she would pee her self if we made it to the catwalk. We did and she didn't pee herself. Part of me was disappointed, part was relieved. I didn't want to ride home with a pee pants). It was one of the most fascinating hours I think either one of us has had in a while. They take you places the public doesn't get to go otherwise to see some great features of the building in its brief-lived hey day as a Union Terminal.

Waiting for the tour to start, Tim snapped this great picture of the original signage with the new museum signage underneath. They did an excellent job capturing the essence of the terminal.

The mural you see here is original. The French artist who designed it insisted on using mosaic tiles instead of paint. Thanks to his stubbornness to not cheap out on materials, we still get to see this vibrant piece 70 years after it was installed. By the way, we are up on the catwalk across the front of the terminal at this point. Part of the tour. Awesome, I know. (Tim: Unrelated to the murals, if you see where the banners were hanging down, that is where the passenger concourse and where the murals would have been.)

Another part of the tour is through the President's office, the board room, and into the Amtrak station which has changed very minimally over the years (Tim: The Amtrak station used to be the Men's Lounge. The President's office didn't see much use after the station closed and became many other things. Thankfully the only thing missing was a map stand. The secretary's office , board room, typist pool, and waiting room were still mostly there). This map was just too beautiful not to share. I also got some great ideas for redecorating my house from the woodwork both in this office and in the board room.

This is one of several original signs that were still around by the time the terminal started becoming a museum in the late 1980s. Over the years they tried keeping it a train station and even turning it into a mall. I'm so glad that ultimately a museum won out.

By the time we finished the tour we had only an hour to get through the Natural History Museum. Boo on us, but that's what return trips are for :-)

This is what greets you at the entrance to the Natural History Museum's inner sanctum.

Just a few highlights: nifty dioramas about the beginnings of humanity, a great exhibit on archaeology (by the way, if anyone wants to get me out of work for two weeks to do their field school that would be great!), and of course we have to mention the Cave.

Tim, in the cave, trying to be contemplative and stoic.

Naturally, I had to combat his stoicism and I ended up nearly falling into the water there. Not sure how well you can tell, but I am holding on to that wall for all I'm worth with my right hand.

Aside from the awesomeawesomeawesome cave, there is the glacier trail. They've created a great pathway through a glacier and across what Southwestern Ohio would've been like about 18000 years ago (Tim: If you can hack it, the non-kid trail was the best one. It twisted all over.).

Since we were kinda rushed, we didn't take nearly as many pictures through here as we should have. Once again, that's what return trips are for..but here go some pictures of the glacier for you:

I told you, that was his pose of the day.

Just like my goofiness was my signature move. Yes, I had just fallen over in an attempt to make it look like I was being run over by the glacier. Part of what makes this so cool is how absorbing the atmosphere is; I almost expected to touch that wall and have it be icy cold.

Part of our rush through the Natural History Museum was that we were determined to make it up to Tower A before they closed. Tower A is a relic from the past if there ever was one...it's the original control tower for Union Terminal. To get there you have to take an almost hidden elevator up to the top and then go up a flight of stairs into a room that really makes you respect rail yard controllers. It has to be seen to truly appreciate, but I took pictures nonetheless.

One of my favorite aspects is that the rail yard out back is still one of the largest rail freight yards around.

As you can definitely see, this is still very active. I love that you can trace the tracks to where the platforms once stood. That empty track on the far right is the Amtrak access line.

In short, this museum is freaking cool. Once we left the museums inside, we hung out in the front for a bit just to sit and enjoy the warm weather and to enjoy the atmosphere.

This is the historical marker to the right of the building's entrance. This is on the Natural History & Science Museum side.

This is the Historical Marker to the left of the entrance near the Victory Garden. This is on the History Museum side.

This is the left side of the building, where you can clearly see the exits for the traffic tunnels, where the street cars were supposed to enter, and there now there is a Victory Garden. The steps they've taken to preserve the history of the terminal while making it active and alive is just amazing. I'm so excited for this museum, and can't wait to go back.