Cincinnati Museum Center facts for kids
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Main (east) facade
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| Established | January 1995 |
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| Location | 1301 Western Avenue Cincinnati, OH |
| Type | General interest |
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
| Collection size | 40,000 historical objects, 1,500 works of fine art |
| Visitors | 1.8 million (2019) |
| Architect | Fellheimer & Wagner |
| Public transit access |  SORTA Route 49 |
| Nearest parking | On site, variable fee |
The Cincinnati Museum Center is a super cool place located inside the amazing Cincinnati Union Terminal building in Cincinnati, Ohio. It's not just one museum, but a whole group of them! Here, you can explore different museums, watch movies in a special theater, visit a library, and even hear a huge pipe organ. They also host exciting special exhibits that travel from other places.
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Museums and Fun Places
The Cincinnati Museum Center is home to five awesome organizations:
- Cincinnati History Museum
- Museum of Natural History & Science
- Robert D. Lindner Family Omnimax Theater
- Cincinnati History Library and Archives
- Duke Energy Children's Museum
Museum of Natural History & Science
The Museum of Natural History & Science has a fantastic area called Dinosaur Hall. Here, you can see real skeletons and fossils of dinosaurs! Some of the dinosaurs you'll find include Galeamopus, Daspletosaurus, and Torvosaurus.
The Torvosaurus skeleton was added in 2018. It's the most complete skeleton of its kind ever found, about 55 percent complete. It's also the only Torvosaurus skeleton you can see on display anywhere in the world!
The natural history museum also has a cool copy of a real limestone cave. This exhibit is called "The Cave." It was first built in 1967 and then moved to Union Terminal around 1994. It looks a lot like Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, which is the longest cave system in the world.
Workers who knew a lot about caves helped build "The Cave" using a special spray concrete called gunite. The exhibit has two levels and stretches for 500 feet (that's about 150 meters!). You can even see an underground stream and tall, narrow holes called dome pits. One of these pits is 40 feet (about 12 meters) high!
Exhibits to Explore
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Dinosaur Hall
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Public Landing recreation
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Cincinnati in Motion exhibit
Holiday Junction is a special event held every year at the museum center. It's all about trains and is a favorite during the holiday season!
History of the Museum Center
For a long time, two groups, the Cincinnati Historical Society and the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, needed bigger homes. They both started way back in the 1800s. They realized that the huge Cincinnati Union Terminal building would be a perfect place for them to join forces.
In 1986, people in the area voted to give $33 million to turn the terminal into a museum. The state of Ohio and the city of Cincinnati also helped with money. Many people and businesses donated too. A famous TV host, Jerry Springer, who used to be Cincinnati's mayor, was a big supporter of saving the building.
The terminal had a lot of unused space underground, including old parking areas and ramps. These were changed into amazing exhibit halls. The main hall of the terminal was restored to its original beauty. The old train concourse entrance became the awesome Omnimax theater.
In 1990, the museum center officially opened its doors. It had the Cincinnati History Library, the Cincinnati History Museum, the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, and the Robert D. Lindner Family Omnimax Theater. When it opened, it had the biggest display of robot dinosaurs and one of the largest World War II exhibits. It quickly became one of the most popular places to visit in the area!
In 1995, all these groups officially joined together to form the Cincinnati Museum Center. The Cinergy Children's Museum also became part of the center in 1998.
The building needed a lot of care over the years. From 2016 to 2018, the entire museum was closed for a huge $228 million renovation. This project fixed up the whole building and restored many of its original rooms. It was the first time the entire building had such a big makeover. During this time, all the museum's items were kept safe in a special storage facility or traveled around the country in exhibits.
The Cincinnati Museum Center and Union Terminal had a grand reopening on November 17, 2018. Now, you can also find new places to eat and drink inside the terminal. In 2019, another museum, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center, also opened in the building.
Special Events
One of the biggest events at the museum center is its annual 1940s Day. This celebration happens every year in August. It's a fun way to step back in time! You can see classic cars, enjoy swing dancing, listen to big band music, and even join a vintage costume contest. The museum started these 1940s parties in 2008 to celebrate the terminal's 75th anniversary. The 1940s were a very busy time for Union Terminal, especially during World War II.
The museum center is also a popular spot for important speakers. Many famous people, including presidents and presidential candidates, have given speeches here. For example, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, John Kerry, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden have all visited the terminal to speak.
Besides speeches, other important leaders have visited. Vice President Dan Quayle came in 1991. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, and Franklin D. Roosevelt also visited the terminal in past years.
Amazing Collections
The museum center has a huge collection of items related to Union Terminal itself. This includes original drawings by the architects, special tools used when the building was first made, and old photographs from its construction. They also have records from the terminal's early days and even menus from its old restaurants!
The Grand E.M. Skinner Concert Organ
The Grand E.M. Skinner Concert Organ is a very special musical instrument. It's actually made from parts of two different organs! The main part came from a church in Philadelphia. The other part, a smaller organ, used to be in a famous person's home in Cincinnati.
Both of these organs were built in 1929, the same year the Union Terminal building started being built. The main organ was bought by the museum center in 1987. It was then put together and installed during the museum's renovations in the 1990s. You can hear its beautiful music echoing through the terminal!
Selected Collection Highlights
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James Pierce Barton
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John Caspar Wild
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Thomas Corwin Lindsay
