Laying the cornerstone
What a sight – the time capsule cornerstone being ceremoniously lowered into place back in 1931. This stone would be reopened in 2008, the Terminal’s 75th anniversary. In 1958, another capsule was added.
In 2008, both capsules were opened to reveal some items from our past – as well as some items that had completely deteriorated! A new capsule was added to be opened some time in the future.
From the press release:
On Saturday, Mar. 29, 2008, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Cincinnati Union Terminal, Museum Center celebrated the opening of two historic time capsules. The first time capsule was removed from the cornerstone where it had been placed in Nov. 1931, two years before the construction of the terminal was completed.
The second capsule was removed from the façade of the building where it had been placed in honor of the terminal’s 25th anniversary. In 1983, the 50th year of the terminal, the 1958 capsule was removed and the contents were examined. The original contents were put back into the capsule and augmented with items from 1983. The capsule was then resealed and carefully placed back into its cavity in the façade.
Items for the current time capsule were chosen based upon three criteria: results of a survey conducted within Union Terminal of volunteers, guests, and members; general item themes from the previous capsules; and timely artifacts hand-picked by the Cincinnati Museum Center Time Capsule Committee.
