- Welcome to Cincinnati Museum Center
- Quick Tips
- Let's Get Started
- Welcome to Shaping Our City II
- Adventure Roadmap
- Meet the Experts
- Shape the City
- Shaping The City
- Land Acknowledgement
- 1920 - 1950
- Cincinnati Subway
- Lease Campaign
- Subway Route
- Intended Route
- Completed Route
- Union Terminal - Gallery
- Union Terminal - Digital Concourse - In-hand Interactive
- Pullman Porters and Redcaps
- YOU DECIDE - Making Connections - In-hand Interactive
- 1950 - 1980
- 1950 - 1980 - Gallery
- West End
- The Changing West End and Housing Issues
- Public Transportation
- YOU DECIDE - Driving Change - In-hand Interactive
- Now and Next
- Ways of Connecting - Gallery
- Ways of Connecting Cont.
- Fast Forward
- YOU DECIDE - Fast Forward - In-hand Interactive
- Protecting the Ohio River - VIDEO
- Thank You for Visiting CMC
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Cincinnati Museum Center
Shaping Our City:
1920 to Today
Venture through time to explore the Cincinnati region from 1920 to the present day. From trains and cars to hyperloops and rideshare systems, Cincinnati’s transportation story is still being written. Explore historic vehicles and objects, maps, photographs, media and interactive elements to see how Cincinnati’s urban design has both connected and divided the city and its people, and peek into the future at what the next transportation breakthrough may be.
Shape the City
1920 to 1950
Click each box to reveal the topics you will explore in this virtual field trip.
1950 to 1980
Now and Next
MEET THE EXPERTS
Meet the experts from Cincinnati Museum Center and partnering learning institutions that will be guiding your virtual adventure!
Citizen of the Muscogee Nation
Director, Tri-State Trails
Education & Outreach Manager, Red Bike Go Program
President, Hyperloop UC
Vice President, Hyperloop UC
Supervising Transportation Planner
Manager, Transportation Initiatives, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Community
WCPO Television Journalist
Scholar and Professor
SHAPING THE CITY
Use the interactive video below to explore how the region has changed over time.
General Photo Collection
Click the video icon to learn more!
Learn more about Shaping Our City.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Hover cursor over map for larger view.
Land Acknowledgment
Click the video icon to learn more!
Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition
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1920 to 1950
Making Connections
As types of transportation change, the networks that support them take time to catch up. In the early 1900s, Cincinnati travelers had a problem: their systems of transportation weren’t working together. A plan was needed to meet the city’s growing needs more efficiently.
Click the photo icon to learn more!
Learn more about Shaping Our City.
CINCINNATI SUBWAY
Images courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati History Library and Archives
Click the video or photo icons to learn more!
Cincinnati's Lost Subway
Tunnel Construction
Tunnel Construction
CINCINNATI SUBWAY
Lease Campaign - Hover over image and map to see magnification.
Images courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati History Library and Archives
CINCINNATI SUBWAY
Subway Route Map - Hover over map to see magnification.
Images courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati History Library and Archives
CINCINNATI SUBWAY
Intended Route - Hover over map to see magnification.
Images courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati History Library and Archives
CINCINNATI SUBWAY
Completed Route - Hover over map to see magnification.
Images courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati History Library and Archives
Click on the icons to explore more about this area.
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Pullman Porters and Redcaps
Pullman porters served travelers on train journeys. Formed in 1925 by A. Philip Randolph, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters became the first labor union led by African Americans and a major player in the Civil Rights Movement.
Click the photo icon to learn more!
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Video provided by Hasker Nelson/WCPO & Cincinnati History Library & Archives
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1950 to 1980
As car ownership increased with automobiles costing less, the number of people riding public transit decreased from 45 million in 1960 to 25 million in 1970.
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Learn more about Shaping Our City.
Click on the icons to explore more about this area.
West End
Freeman Avenue
In 1948, the Cincinnati City Planning Commission’s redevelopment plan tore down more than 3,000 West End buildings and forced 65 percent of the 40,000 residents to move, which severely impacted the neighborhood’s community. When thinking about how transportation shapes the city, it’s important to consider who benefits and who is impacted.
Click the photo icons to learn more!
Seventh Street
Gest Street
Richmond Street
Oehler Street
The Changing West End and Housing Issues
Growing Suburbs
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Memories of West End and Union Terminal
Memories of Housing in Avondale
Public Transportation
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Now and Next
Transportation is still changing today! Our everyday personal choices have an impact on which transportation options stay around and how they impact our communities and environment. Each generation of Cincinnatians has used transportation to solve needs, but those solutions also brought new challenges.
Click the photo icon to learn more!
Learn more about Shaping Our City.
Click on the icons to explore more about this area.
Ways of Connecting Cont.
City Planner
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Connecting the City with Trails
Future of Busses
Fast Forward
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How We Shape the City
Travel Through Time - Shape the City
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THANK YOU FOR VISITING
Thank you for exploring Shaping Our City: 1920 to Today at Cincinnati Museum Center. To discover more, check out our other virtual field trips and a wide array of online resources, including Ohio History Day, CMC’s interviews with WMKV, and our curator-led blog, Off the Shelf, all found on www.cincymuseum.org.
To discover more about Cincinnati’s transportation history, we encourage you to reserve
Shaping our City: First Settlement to 1920.
To explore CMC’s epic exhibits, such as Shaping Our City, in-person, click the button below to purchase tickets. *Due to COVID-19, some exhibits may be closed. Please check www.cincymuseum.org prior to visiting for the most up-to-date list of open experiences.
To reserve other Virtual Field Trip experiences, click the button below to explore CMC’s current offerings! Remember to always check back, as we frequently add new experiences.
