Master "Pieces"

German-born artist Winold Reiss was commissioned in 1932 to design and create huge color mosaic murals for Union Terminal’s concourse and Rotunda, and assist in the development of the art-deco design for the entire building. The 12-foot foreground figures in the Rotunda mosaics illustrate working people in America. The middle ground shows forms of transportation from covered wagons to steamships, airplanes and—of course—trains. The abstract background shows the landscape from fields to bustling cities. Each mural is 105-feet long and more than 20-feet high.

The men instrumental in the terminal project are shown in wall mosaics located on either side of the concourse area, near the entry to the OMNIMAX Theater. On the left (south) side are (left to right): Russell Wilson, Mayor of Cincinnati in 1933; H.A. Worcester, the first president of the Union Terminal Company; C.A. Dykstra, City Manager in 1933.

On the right (north) side are (left to right): Murray Seasongood, Mayor of Cincinnati in 1929 when the project began; C.O. Sherrill, City Manager in 1929; H.M. Waite, Chief Engineer for the Union Terminal Company; George Dent Crabbs, civic leader and founder of the Union Terminal Company.

Originally, Reiss designed 14 mosaic panels for the concourse area depicting some of Cincinnati’s specific industries like Baldwin Piano, Procter & Gamble and U.S. Playing Cards. Those mosaics were moved to the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati International Airport in the 1970s before Union Terminal's concourse was torn down.