Cleveland Union Terminal

New York Central Mohawk #3012 blasts west bound out of the Cleveland Union Terminal.  From the Special Collections of the Cleveland State Library.

My last post inspired some further thoughts about the complex now known as Tower City Center.  I am very glad that I have memories of the place before it became Tower City; when it was still Cleveland Union Terminal (CUT). Of course, when I was little (early '80s), the Terminal had become a shadow of its former self.  The last passenger train left the platform in 1977 and much of the dining and retail had dwindled.


But what a glorious place it still was.  For one, it seemed so vast to my young eyes and in actuality it was big.  Also, it was a beautiful space with its brass storefronts and marble galore.  Of course, the huge mosaic mural that seemed to be as big as a football field was certainly a mindblower.  Perhaps the most intriguing aspects for me were the access ways down to the platforms. While some other features of the station had fallen into disuse, these stairs were actually still in operation to get riders down to the RTA rapid transit trains.


Of course, my mom and dad had memories of the CUT while it was still an active train station.  Both were children during the WWII years and they had visited the Terminal often during this peak time.  Like most people who experienced the CUT during the war, my parents told of the gigantic crowds that filled the place.  Soldiers, sailors and marines were everywhere along with scads of civilians.  Dozens of trains would use the station each day keeping the public address announcers quite busy.  It was as close to Grand Central as Cleveland would get.


My mom actually got down to the passenger platforms on many occasions, but not as an actual passenger.  I shall explain:  For about a dozen years, my great-grandmother (Grama Ganley) would take New York Central's named trains to New York.  Once in New York, she would board a trans-Atlantic liner and sail to England and Ireland to visit our family in the "Old Country". Grama Ganley's son, my grandfather John (Grampa John), happened to be a yard conductor for the NYC at the Rockport Yard on Cleveland's west side. As such, Grampa John had a NYC employee badge to waive about that got him access to the innards of the Terminal.  Naturally this access was supposed to be for employees only, but invariably the rest of the Ganley clan would pile on down behind Grampa John.  Interestingly enough, Grampa John never traveled by train even though he could have gone pretty far via rail for no cost.


As mentioned above, it's been over 30 years since a passenger train left the Terminal and the whole complex got a makeover in the late 1980s, re-opening in 1990 with a new batch of shops, a food court and cinema.  I was actually quite sad when the old station vanished, but the new place has grown on me.  Enough historic elements were retained to keep the place interesting; it's a great venue for the film festival; and nothing beats sitting by the windows overlooking Collision Bend (hopefully with a lakeboat navigating the river) while eating greasy food court grub.  And I can go visit the old mosaic mural over at the Western Reserve Historical Society.  But still, I would love to hop into the time machine and get a glimpse at what the Terminal once was.


(Fortunately, the internet is the next best thing to a time machine; there's a lot of photographs of the Terminal out there.  The Cleveland Memory site has many, many pictures regarding the complex.  Go here and prepare to lose some time.  Another fun place to visit is Frank's Photography Site.  And while you're at it, check this out.)