Winold Reiss Mosiac Murals of The Concourse at Union Terminal

The Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, was described as the Art Deco Temple of Transportation when it opened in 1933. One of the largest half domes in the World is covered in mosaic tile art by Winold Reiss. 

Reiss' mosaic tile art led you through the station, via a mezzanine, to The Concourse. The Concourse at Union Terminal extended over the railroad tracks behind the Union Terminal. A ceiling in the sky, the grand hallways, leather upholstered seats sat in marble luxurious walls with fountains built into them. Giant windows reached to the sky, shining light on Winold Reiss murals extending all the way through The Concourse. 

The one mural not saved when The Concourse was demolished in 1972 was the grandest of them all: the Globe. The Globe mural was just that, a mosaic mural of the globe along the back wall of the Concourse. This mosaic, sadly, was not saved, so it was destroyed. But many of Winold Reiss' mosaics in The Concourse were saved.

The picture below is a real photo of The Concourse at Union Terminal, taken and hand colored by Fortune Magazine in 1933, that shows The Globe mosaic at the back of The Concourse. On the left of the image, you can see one of the giant mosaics shown below looming large on the wall. Winold Reiss' Mosaic Murals lined both sides of the vertical walls of The Concourse. 

This article contains pictures of the mosaics that were in The Concourse at Union Terminal in Cincinnati. They were saved in 1972 when the Concourse was torn down; initially stored and displayed at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport, they were moved to the back wall of the Convention Center in 2016. 

There are thick glass panes in front of the mosaics. Short of having a day where the glass is removed so we can shoot photos, I apologize, there are reflections for the sky in the glass panes that distort the view of the mosaics in photos.

Here are some of the saved Winold Reiss mosaics that lined the walls of The Concourse at Union Terminal until The Concourse was demolished in 1972 to make way for higher, double-stacked train cars that could not pass under The Concourse.

Exploring the Cincinnati Convention Center

The renovated Cincinnati Convention Center is worth checking out. 

The newly renovated First Financial Convention Center added vast spaces outside of the main convention hall, naturally lit up by the exterior made of mostly glass. Explore the floors and make it up to the top-most Western wall for the best view and chill area to get work done. Electric hookups are everywhere for cool private spots to get work done or take a respite from a convention.

There is a secret beauty to the Convention Center that you must check out. To see the secret beauty of the First Financial Convention Center, either go through the Convention Center to the back door, Central Ave exit, or go around the 5th street side of the Convention Center to the back of the Convention Center along Central Ave; there you will find the Winold Reiss original Mosaics that hung in The Concourse of the Union Terminal. They are amazing to see up close.

For a description of the Winold Reiss mosaics, here is a cool FB post from The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/193TWHY19D/

Resources:
https://www.cincymuseum.org/art-of-union-terminal/
and growing up in Cincinnati.