Tag Archives: Cincinnati museum center

Crosley Super Station Wagon

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You can’t talk about Cincinnati history or the city’s history museum without discussing the Crosley automobile. The Crosley Corporation produced a series of subcompact cars that are as cute as can be. They didn’t operate for a long time (1939-1952 with a break during the war years) but they certainly left their mark on the automobile industry.

They made the first mass produced automobile with an overhead camshaft engine that was affordable to the masses. They made a sports car, a truck, a convertible and station wagon like the one on display at the Ohio History center.

This 1951 Super Station Wagon is part of the permanent collection at the Cincinnati History Museum. It got an impressive 30- 50 miles per gallon at a top speed of around sixty miles per hour. According to the signage with the vehicle, the 1951 and 1952 models of this car came with this nifty little propeller on the front of the car.

Crosley Corporation and company founder Powell Crosley gave us the Shelvador refrigerator, a first to offer shelves inside the door. Powell owned the Cincinnati Reds for a while, broadcasting the games on his powerful WLW AM radio station which broadcast to homes across the Midwest on inexpensive radios he manufactured and sold to households nationwide.

The pictured vehicle was donated to the museum in honor of Jean and Houston Crosley. Houston was the grandson of Powell Crosley, Jr. Incidentally, they are buried at Spring Grove Cemetery along with many other members of the Crosley family.

Read about Spring Grove Cemetery here.

Cincinnati History Museum

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The Cincinnati History Museum is just one of the museums inside the Cincinnati Museum Center.

The most striking feature here is Public Landing, an imagined landing with a riverboat and cobblestone streets that take you to a photography studio, a dressmaker and an apothocary. Step aboard the boat and explore inside the buildings to learn about life in this river city in the 1860s.

Vintage advertising pieces, a streetcar, and items made in Cincinnati provide insight into the city’s history as well as life in America. Another special thing here is an intricate model of Cincinnati in the forties complete with trains. The kiddos especially love this and I could have stood there all day too.

If you’ve been following along here, you know that these museums are housed in Union Terminal, a gorgeous art deco train station that’s worth a visit. In fact, if you’re looking for rainy day fun, a reprieve from the summer heat, or if you just like museums, the Cincinnati Museum Center is a terrific destination for a day trip.

Cincinnati Natural History and Science Museum

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The Cincinnati Museum Center houses four quality museums including a natural history museum.

You can buy one pass that gets you into this museum, the Cincinnati History Museum and a children’s museum. Admission to the Holocaust museum and the IMAX experience are extra. We did the basic pass, opting to come back another day to explore the rest.

I was most excited for the Cincinnati history museum but, as it turns out, this one was my favorite of the two. They won me over at the front door with the Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery. Using photos, some original artifacts, a few reproductions and a little technology, they do a good job telling this Ohio native’s story as the first person to walk on the moon.

Dinosaur Hall was a lot of fun and there was a jaw dropping long horn bison to appreciate as well. I had no idea such a beast ever existed. It was as big as a car!

Another highlight was going through a simulated cave and the joy of seeing a living bat up close. Lots of people find bats threatening or frightening but I think they’re neat little guys!

I learned that, in geologic terms, we are living in the Anthropocene Age. You know, it has never crossed my mind to wonder about this. I’m probably not alone in my failure to consider my place in the grand scheme of time. In case you’re wondering, Anthro means human and cene means recent. The name basically means the humans have left a lasting mark on the planet.

No kidding.

This is just one reason I enjoy museums so much. Sometimes they feature interesting or pretty things to enjoy and they often show you things you didn’t know existed. If you’re paying attention, a good museum will always give you something to think about and hopefully an idea to revisit another day.

There’s something for everyone here including some thought provoking stuff you might not expect to see. Learn more about the museum here and about the building that houses it here.

Details

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Union Terminal in Cincinnati was designed with an attention to detail that simply isn’t found much in modern architecture.

There’s a lot to unpack in the above picture- the lights, the jaw dropping mosaic tile artwork, the ceiling, the marble and the font on the directional sign “to trains” are all worthy of our study.

The space is both grandiose and simplistic. Ornate and streamlined. That’s the thing about art deco style – they keep the lines clean but make a big statement!

It’s a showstopper, isn’t it? Come back tomorrow. We will visit one of the museums that lives in this building!

Rookwood Ice Cream Parlor

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Tucked in the corner of the Cincinnati Union Terminal Museum Center is a nondescript door that leads into something unexpectedly special.

Rookwood Ice Cream Parlor feels like an art deco time capsule. That’s because it’s decorated with Rookwood Pottery tile. This iconic handmade tile comes from the Cincinnati based pottery that was founded in 1880. It’s world renowned pottery that can often be found in fine public buildings, in many historic homes, and even the New York City Subway.

This space was originally a tea room and later a home for the USO when World War II troop trains rolled through the city. Now they serve ice cream treats to museum goers and Amtrak travelers.

My only regret is that we didn’t stay and order some ice cream. Another day.

Here’s a closer look at the tile.

Isn’t it fantastic?

First Adventure Weekend of 2024

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My reward for finishing a big project at work was to run away for a long weekend and do something fun. I feel most like myself when traveling new roads and exploring places and ideas that are different than what I normally see.

It was a long stretch from my last multi-day adventure in December till this weekend when the road found me in Cincinnati. Golly, did I nee it and  WOW was it a good weekend! 

Cincinnati has a lot to do in terms of museums, historic homes, public art and bookstores – all the nerd stuff I love best. Having indoor activities was important because rain was forecasted a few days ahead of time. 

Turns out, the weather wasn’t a concern other than the unexpected heat that made us so grateful for air conditioning. 

I have many stories to tell from these last few days, so many I don’t even know where to begin

There’s something special about the sense of discovery that comes with visiting new ground. Perhaps that’s why we both loved Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum so much that we went twice. This historic place is a slice of Cincinnati like none other. It’s a cemetery but it’s also a park with gorgeous trees and ponds, rolling hills and as many turtles and birds as you’ll find in any state park.

We rambled through the natural history museum and Adam got to try Skyline Chili for the first time. We also hit five bookstores and toured the William Howard Taft National Historic Site where I learned some interesting things about the former President and his good friend Teddy Roosevelt. 

Stay tuned, friends. There are stories to come!