Winold Reiss and the Cincinnati Union Terminal: Fanfare for the Common Man By Gretchen Garner

Abstract

This is the first book about the remarkable glass tesserae murals (1933) by German American artist Winold Reiss (1886-1953) for the Cincinnati Union Terminal—home since 1990 to the Cincinnati Museum Center. Commissioned in 1931, Reiss designed two large silhouette murals (22’ x 105’) for the grand Art Deco train station’s rotunda. (The Ravenna Mosaic Company produced figures and main features; the rest was colored plaster as a cost-saving measure.) The south composition depicts the development of the U.S., from early Indian days to the late industrial era, against a backdrop of transportation history. The north mural presents images of Ohio River shipping and agriculture, as well as modern industry. Reiss designed two additional murals featuring seven Cincinnati businessmen and builders, as well as fourteen murals of workers in local firms (20’ x 20’) which now reside in Cincinnati’s convention center.