Posts Tagged ‘ Construction ’

Our legacy to our children before our memories fade

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Going up or coming down? Bridge and viaduct construction was an integral part of the Union Terminal construction project

Going up or coming down? Over the last 70+ years, the landmark has been the subject of wonder, awe and unfortunately from time to time, of thoughts to tear it down and reclaim the land for other uses.

The Cincinnati Union Terminal building has had a couple of lives– in service of trains, as a shopping mall and now as the Cincinnati Museum Center.

The construction of the Terminal was a one time thing in our history. Never before or again will opportunity, need, art and function come together to shape our surroundings.

Could we build a stadium for $41,000,000.00? An airport?

As one railroad club member is fond of saying, maybe a lane of highway. Even if we had put away that money in the 1920′s with inflation and interest, the cost of building a landmark like the Cincinnati Union Terminal could not be repeated.

Capturing the history of the building, rail history and the effect this had on Cincinnati is a legacy we need to capture and share–to preserve our memories for our children before they fade…

Please consider how you can help, by sharing memories here in the comments sections, by volunteering or donating.

Thanks~!

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Steeling Iron Horses

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Joseph T. Ryerson and Sons

Have you ever wondered about the old ghost signs on buildings around downtown Cincinnati? How about the signs on old buildings that are still thriving after all these years? Maybe you have seen the front – or back – of the Ryerson building, just one of the Cincinnati companies that made the rails possible. Cincinnati is still, after all one of the largest train hubs in the U.S.!

Can anyone share a little more info about Ryerson and their role in Cincinnati history?

 

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Lean Six Sigma and TQM from the PMO

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Union Terminal Project Management

Back when I was but a wee pup, we did project management the hard way – with Microsoft Project! Printing out a gantt chart took many, many minutes. Back in the day of Union Terminal’s construction, the architects drew their gantt charts by hand, just like their blueprints.

The construction project was so controlled and disciplined, they even had a project font created specifically for blueprints and planning. The planners even created an ‘expected mortality’ chart to estimate the loss of life during construction (which we also hear was extremely minimal, thank goodness).

Take that, six sigma!

More planning and construction photos can be seen in the galleries. Please feel free to look around, comment and ask questions. Our club experts are standing by…

 

 

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The men behind the building

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The men behind the building

OK, so technically they are in front of the building. The Cincinnati Union Terminal construction was one of the largest earthworks projects in the region. While most people consider...

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Drawing that train…

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Cincinnati Union Terminal Company executives, architects and contractors

Back in the days of the Terminal planning and construction, men wore suits, people smoked at meetings and donuts were conspicuously missing from the center of the room. These were the executives who made the decisions that shaped the building and grounds. More of these photos can be seen in the galleries. Click here to view images from the recently posted volume 11 from the Gibson Yungblut collection.

 

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From the archives – of Gibson Yungblut

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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.

 

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Passenger Platform, Rotunda & Ramps

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Passenger Platform, Rotunda & Ramps

This is a great perspective of Cincinnati Union Terminal, captured from one of the passenger platforms. No one really gets to see Union Terminal from this vantage point anymore,...

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Earthworks

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The Cincinnati Union Terminal project was one of the biggest earthworks programs in the region. The $41,000,000 project moved 5,663,065 cubic yards of fill from a local hill called Bald Knob and a farm in Indiana to raise the level of the station and train yard an average of 16 feet.

Most people these days associate the building of the terminal with the main building with the beautiful rotunda. In reality, the project stretched 287 acres from the river to two miles north along the Mill Creek Valley and included 22 buildings as well as the construction of the Western Hills Viaduct.

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Paperless Office

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Paper paper everywhere – nowadays tickets are printed on home computers and calendars are kept handy on our smartphones. Back in the heyday of train travel, a lot of paper was used– from timetables to tickets, signage to menus and much more. Today these vintage pieces of paper are called ephemera and some are highly collectable.

Hidden in the Cincinnati Railroad Club’s collection are some really neat examples of marketing materials, calendars and passageway tickets. While some items are on display in the Club’s museum space in Tower A of the Cincinnati Museum Center, more can be found in this new gallery…

Click here to see the gallery – more items will appear as we catalog and scan, so check back often!

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Table for One?

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Table for One?

When you’re traveling, you’re often alone. And possibly weighed down with stuff, or maybe not dressed in your Sunday best. So what is now the Losantiville Room (then the...

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