Project Background
The Cincinnati Museum Center, located inside the historic Union Terminal in downtown Cincinnati is a part of the cities’ long history. Since 1933, Union Terminal was a hub for transportation with 7 railroads connecting different city routes. Traffic grew in the terminal during WWII until 1972 when Amtrak moved stops to a nearby station leaving Union Terminal dormant. In 1980, Land of Oz mall was opened in hopes to restore the terminal to the hub it once was but only lasted 5 years before closing.
In the late 1980s two museums merged to purchase the terminal and made The Cincinnati Museum Center. The renovation process spanned decades with completion in 2018. The Museum Center was experiencing less foot traffic and wanted to increase the amount of visitors while also increasing visitor retention.
Timeline
4 weeks
Personas
The personas represented the many conversations we had with visitors at The Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC). After observing how visitors interacted with the museum, dialogue allowed for clear understanding of the unique archetypes of visitors at CMC and what attracts them to the museum.
Talking to a diverge group of visitors allowed the team to define critical areas that needed improvement to not only brings visitors back to CMC, but make them frequent visitors of Union Terminal.
Clarification Tools Used
This is just the surface of the design thinking tools used over the course of this client challenge. In the clarification stage, we focused on the primary problems to address what was hindering the museum from getting more foot traffic.
The Problems
1.
Queensgate and the West End are isolated from Cincinnati and have been left behind.
2.
The Cincinnati Museum Center is not attracting as many visitors as it could, and Union Terminal is not the community hub that it once was.
Our Solution
Design Proposal
The final proposal detailed ways to return Union Terminal to the city hub it once was. The historical significance, community, and events are what keep visitors coming back time and time again. We proposed to turn Union Terminal into Union Terminal Square – building an external community outside the walls to draw visitors to Union Terminal and The Cincinnati Museum Center. Learn more by reading our design proposal below.
Sketch Animation
Sketch animation shows how Union Terminal could utilize all the extra space they have in available land into an area the community members could frequently visit. The large parking garage underground allows for the green space to be revitalized to the large park it once was. Utilizing this green space would bring exhibits outdoors, walking paths, a body of water, and train-car vendors selling food, coffee, and a Cincinnati classic – Skyline Chili. The addition of this community space is unlike anything seen on the West side of Cincinnati, transforming Union Terminal Square into a frequented community gathering place.
