By Tom Block
Special to the NKyTribune
The wonderful mosaic murals that were originally created for Cincinnati’s Union Terminal are about ready to move again, from Greater Cincinnati Airport, back across the river, to Cincinnati’s Duke Energy Convention Center. Reading of the move, caused by the need to tear down the old, outdated terminals, brought back memories of how I played a small role in saving the murals over 40 years ago.
In 1972 I was a year out of college and working in DC for my hometown Congressman, Bill Keating. Bill represented Cincinnati where I had grown up. I was very lucky to get a job as Bill’s legislative assistant during his first term in Congress.
Bill had been Mayor of Cincinnati and my whole family lived in Cincinnati, so we were both very committed to helping our hometown. In fact on the Block side of my family the first descendant I can identify is Elias Block who arrived in 1848. So I had deep roots in the community.
There are many rewards to working as a Congressional aide, but one that is particularly special is working for your hometown Congressman and getting to work on projects that have an impact on your family and friends.
While the focus of my work for Congressman Keating was legislation, because of my deep Cincinnati roots, Bill would sometimes gives me assignments on special projects that might eventually require legislation to resolve. Saving Union Terminal, and specifically the mosaic murals, was one of the projects that happily ended up on my desk.
The Union Terminal murals are the magnificent pieces of art created by artist Winold Reiss for the terminal when it opened in 1933. The mosaic murals celebrate Cincinnati’s manufacturing base with scenes that depict everything from pianos and soap to machine tools and meatpacking. As airplanes replaced trains, it was becoming increasingly obvious that a new purpose had to be found for Union Terminal.
Back in 1972 there were really two aspects to the issue. First, was the main terminal with its wonderful art deco sweeping domed main lobby, with its fantastic mosaic mural. The murals are large and fit the shape of the circular room; it seemed impossible to save it if the terminal was torn down. The focus on saving the art and architecture of the main building was to find a new purpose, and it eventually became Cincinnati Museum Center.
The second issue was the various concourses that passengers walked down to board their trains. These fingers came out of the main terminal but had no architectural significance. However, they did have mosaic murals, they were smaller and easier to move if a place could be found to house them. While smaller than the giant mural in the main terminal, they are still very large, 20’ x 20’ and weigh eight tons each, so the new home had to have the right space to hang monumental size works of art.
My initial idea was the new Riverfront Stadium. In 1972 the stadium was the focal point of the renovated downtown and the home of The Big Red Machine. As a 24-year-old it made sense to put these iconic images of Cincinnati, in what would become the iconic location for Cincinnati big league sports. The stadium had large concourses not dissimilar from Union Station, and it made sense to me.
However, others came up with a better idea – the terminal buildings at Greater Cincinnati International Airport. The airport was becoming a hub for regional air travel, and as they say the rest was history.
Just as the mission of Union Terminal changed, now too the mission of Cincinnati airport is evolving, changing to meet the needs of today’s travelers. When it became obvious that the terminals housing some of the mosaic murals had to come down, there was real concern with the future of the murals.
With the work of many, led my Cincinnati’s Mayor and officials at the airport, many of the Reiss mosaics will start a new chapter. CVG CEO Candace McGraw and senior staff at the airport were good enough to let me see the murals and told me of the plans to move back to Cincinnati. While there are still some details, such as insurance, to be worked out it looks like the murals will again be saved.
Also the good news for users of the airport: a few will remain in the main terminal at CVG.
Tom Block is a public policy consultant who had a 21-year career with JP Morgan Chase where he served as head of government relations in New York City and created a Washington research product. He also created the bank’s EU Government Relations program and developed a new position as U.S. government policy strategist focusing on how U.S. government policy impacts capital markets. He has an extensive government and banking background, has worked on political campaigns and as a speech writer. He is a family trustee of Bernheim Arboretum in Louisville and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from American University. He and his wife make their home in Kentucky. Contact him at tomblockct@aol.com.
TOM THAT IS A VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE! THERE IS ONLY ONDE WRONG FACT—-ELIAS SPELLED HIS NAME BLOCH & IT’S ON HIS NATURALAZATION PAPER THAT WAY. SOMEONE ALONG THE WAY ANGLIOCISED IT, PERHAPS DURING WORLD WAR 1??