Dixie Terminal
Encyclopedia
The Dixie Terminal buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio
were completed in 1921 and served as streetcar terminal, stock exchange and office building in downtown Cincinnati. They were designed by Cincinnati architect Frederick W. Garber
's Garber & Woodward firm. The main building includes an "Adamesque barrel-vaulted concourse" and "Rookwood Architectural Faience
entry arch". The Rookwood tiles were manufactured by the local Rookwood Pottery Company
.
Located at Fourth and Walnut Streets, the Terminal was constructed of reinforced concrete
and finished in gray brick, Bedford limestone, and granite. It includes two structures: the 4-story south building extending to Third Street, where streetcars entered and left, and the "handsome" 10-story north building, housing railroad ticket agencies, the Cincinnati Stock Exchange, administrative offices of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company, commercial offices and shops.
A long and elaborate arcade runs through from main entrance through the building; shops were located alongside. The building included marble floors, Bottincino marble wainscot
, metal trimmings, and "costly brightly decorated ceilings, with fanciful medallions showing little children riding on the backs of various animals".
The terminal was used for bus service after streetcar service ceased in the 1950s. Buses arriving from northern Kentucky crossed the Roebling Suspension Bridge and took ramps from the bridge into the terminal. The ramps were removed and the bus service ceased using the terminal in 1998 . The Cincinnati Stock Exchange closed its physical trading floor in 1976 after becoming an all electronic stock trading exchange but remained in the building until relocating from Cincinnati to Chicago in 1995. It has been renamed the National Stock Exchange".
s in the building. Beller had a studio at 1229 Hopkins Street in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
were completed in 1921 and served as streetcar terminal, stock exchange and office building in downtown Cincinnati. They were designed by Cincinnati architect Frederick W. Garber
Frederick W. Garber
Frederick W. Garber was an American architect in Cincinnati, Ohio and the principal architect in the Garber & Woodward firm with Clifford B. Woodward...
's Garber & Woodward firm. The main building includes an "Adamesque barrel-vaulted concourse" and "Rookwood Architectural Faience
Faience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
entry arch". The Rookwood tiles were manufactured by the local Rookwood Pottery Company
Rookwood Pottery Company
Rookwood Pottery is an American ceramics company now located in the Mount Adams neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1880, and successful until the Great Depression, production has been intermittent and at a low level since 1967, though there was a change of ownership in 2006, and expansion...
.
Located at Fourth and Walnut Streets, the Terminal was constructed of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and finished in gray brick, Bedford limestone, and granite. It includes two structures: the 4-story south building extending to Third Street, where streetcars entered and left, and the "handsome" 10-story north building, housing railroad ticket agencies, the Cincinnati Stock Exchange, administrative offices of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company, commercial offices and shops.
A long and elaborate arcade runs through from main entrance through the building; shops were located alongside. The building included marble floors, Bottincino marble wainscot
Wainscot
Wainscot is a term used in fantasy fiction to describe societies that are concealed and secretly working in the real world. It was first coined by The Encyclopedia of Fantasy in 1997....
, metal trimmings, and "costly brightly decorated ceilings, with fanciful medallions showing little children riding on the backs of various animals".
The terminal was used for bus service after streetcar service ceased in the 1950s. Buses arriving from northern Kentucky crossed the Roebling Suspension Bridge and took ramps from the bridge into the terminal. The ramps were removed and the bus service ceased using the terminal in 1998 . The Cincinnati Stock Exchange closed its physical trading floor in 1976 after becoming an all electronic stock trading exchange but remained in the building until relocating from Cincinnati to Chicago in 1995. It has been renamed the National Stock Exchange".
Ornament and decoration
Joseph Francis Beller is believed responsible for the original gold-leafing and the "frolicking" cherubCherub
A cherub is a type of spiritual being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and cited later on in the Christian biblical canons, usually associated with the presence of God...
s in the building. Beller had a studio at 1229 Hopkins Street in Cincinnati.