Cincinnati has the largest collection of Italianate German architecture outside of Manahattan, NY. 3 story brick and stone townhouse type buildings fill places like Over The Rhine and the West End. Swiss architecture stands out, most misidentify Time Hill as "Swiss Chalet", but it truly was made as a GUILD HALL.
NOT A
"Swiss Chalet"
The Grand Hall for Gruen's Guild. The Guild Hall, Time Hill.
Trades, and more importantly, trade secrets, were taught and passed down in a very select fashion. Whether parents to children, expert to understudy tradecrafts and trade secrets need a place to gather, practice, learn, and pass down the knowledge. In the Northern Hills of Germany and Switzeralnd grand halls were built for the watchmakers tradecraft; these large halls were called Guild Halls.
Standing out among the German Italianate the old European Guild steep sloping roof keeps snow from accumulating, while inside large rooms allow rows of watchmakers at the natural light of the expansive windows.
Standing out among the German Italianate the old European Guild steep sloping roof keeps snow from accumulating, while inside large rooms allow rows of watchmakers at the natural light of the expansive windows.
When Gruen moved from Columbus to Cincinnati in 1898 the watchmakers worked in an office building on Fountain Square at the center of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Loud, polluted from fireplace and factory smoke, and stinky from the pork factories in early Cincinnati motivated Gruen to build their Guild Hall on a hill up out of the River Valley and out of downtown. A quite, nice view, a peaceful place wwith walking trails.
When Gruen move the company out of downtown Cincinnati at the time in 1913 the hills sorrounding downtown were grassy hilly countrysides, orchards, grapes. The hill that Gruen built his Guild Hall on was known as Goat Hill. As a play on the former name of the hill, the Guild was called Time Hill, and it stuck.
The most fascinating aspect of the Union Terminal was how cars, taxis, busses & even the city streetcars could enter into & out of the station so elegantly that everyone in the city was literally connected to the terminal and thereby, the entire Country
The property’s logistics allowed for smoother arrivals & departures, separating ramps for cars, busses, and streetcar. Although the Cincinnati Streetcar Company, in Classic Cincinnati style, never ran a streetcar line into The Union Terminal.
Like Cincinnati Watch Company, Gruen watch company imported parts and assembled the parts into watches here in Cincinnati at Time Hill. In 1948 Gruen started manufacturing their own movments here in Cincinnati, they leased space in the US Playing Card Company factory in Norwood, Ohio to place the machines and specialized staff where Gruen manufactured movments from 1948-1950
The Union Terminal's control Tower "A" viewed and controlled 187 working pneumatically levers controlling the switches in the railyard. Allowing for a central panel to monitor the location and direction of all trains from one overhead perspective. A major advancement at that time.
Today Time Hill is the perfect home of the Light House Youth and Family Services organization.
From Time Hill Gruen moved the design of watches foreard in great leaps and bounds. The first to used curved cases, Gruen was a master at rectangle and jewelry shaped watches. Several times Gruen's patent changing movement design moved the industry forward. Gruen believed that everything should be beautiful as well as functional.
Architect Paul Cret was requested and added to the New York architectural firm responsible for the design of the Union Terminal, Paul Philippe Cret designed the art deco masterpiece including the clocks.
Union Terminal underwent the first full historic restoration in its 85-year history from 2016 to 2018. In the process, crews secured the Art Deco train station’s steel structure, repaired damaged masonry, secured the exterior envelope, updated aging mechanical systems and restored historic elements including light fixtures, artwork and the building’s iconic clock and fountain. With the National Historic Landmark’s future secured, it will continue to be a place where the past is preserved and lifelong memories are made.
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Use this section to explain a set of product features, to link to a series of pages, or to answer common questions about your products. Add images for emphasis.
Use this section to explain a set of product features, to link to a series of pages, or to answer common questions about your products. Add images for emphasis.
