CINCINNATI UNION TERMINAL WAS A SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY'S LONG TRANSPORTATION HISTORY. ONE OF THE LAST GREAT TRAIN STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, UNION TERMINAL IS A CINCINNATI ICON AND ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY REGARDED EXAMPLES OF THE ART DECO ARCHITECTURE STYLE. IT BEGAN DAILY OPERATION IN 1933 AND HAS BEEN GOING EVER SINCE. UNION TERMINAL HAS HAD A LONG AND STORIED HISTORY, FROM WELCOMING SOLDIERS HOME FROM WORLD WAR II TO BECOMING THE HOME OF THREE MUSEUMS, AN OMNIMAX® THEATER AND THE CINCINNATI HISTORY LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES.
Cincinnati was beginning to thrive in the 1920's & 1930's with large population increases happening in neighborhoods all over the city. Union Terminal was completed in 1931 and immediately became one of the busiest train hubs in the region. The station played a major part in attracting people to Cincinnati. Before train travel was popular in the city, like many cities, you would have to travel long distances by car or horse carriage to get there. The train allowed for a quick, direct, and affordable mode of transportation into the city. The addition of trains in the United States during this time promoted the rapid growth of many American cities, Cincinnati included. Rail travel had a huge impact on what Cincinnati became then, and well into the current day.