- 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
Please click the on the right side of the screen to proceed.
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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
Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition
Executive Director, Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition
Education & Outreach Manager, Red Bike Go Program
President, Hyperloop UC
Vice President, Hyperloop UC
Supervising Transportation Planner
Director, Tri-State Trails
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.
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
Click on the icons to explore more about this area.
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!
Click the video icon to learn more!
Video provided by Hasker Nelson/WCPO & Cincinnati History Library & Archives
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.
Click the photo icon to learn more!
Learn more about Shaping Our City.