Cincinnati MuseumCommunity Center BUILDING on HISTORY Cincinnati Museum Center 1301 Western Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45203 www.cincymuseum.org Photo: Tom Schiff 2009 Annual Report July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 PROFILE & Research Center, educational programs, teacher professional development programs, day and overnight camps, public lectures and programs, tours of historic sites and community-wide cultural events. Cincinnati Museum Center is a one-of-a-kind, multi- museum complex housed in Union Terminal, an historic 2009 is the 50th anniversary of Museum Center’s Art Deco train station and National Historic Landmark. 14,000 acre Richard & Lucile Durrell Edge of Museum Center’s major offerings include the Cincinnati Appalachia Preserve, owned and managed jointly History Museum, the Cincinnati Historical Society with The Nature Conservancy as Ohio’s largest privately Vision Library, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the owned protected natural area—one of the most biologi- Cincinnati Museum Center will Museum of Natural History & Science and the cally diverse collections of natural systems in the Mid- ® be known for its commitment Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater. western United States. The Eulett Center, completed to understanding the richness Museum Center is the largest cultural institution in the in 2008, is Museum Center’s research and education of our past, present and future city of Cincinnati, with more than 1.3 million visitors per facility at the preserve. It has increased research capa- by providing world-class year. Museum Center’s permanent and temporary exhibit bilities, greatly expanded opportunities for educational learning experiences for are supported and complemented by a state-of-the-art programming and made the Edge of Appalachia an children and adults. collections and research facility, The Geier Collections enhanced resource for the Adams County community. Mission Cincinnati Museum Center in- spires people of all ages to learn more about our world through science; regional history; and educational, engaging and meaningful experiences. Cover Photo: Tom Schiff CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER Photo: Robert Webber Cincinnati Dear Friends, Museum Center After such a landmark year, full of milestone achievements and celebrations, we are honored to announce that Cincinnati Museum Center has been awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries. This annual award recognizes institutions for outstanding social, educational, environmental or economic contributions to their communities. Cincinnati Museum Center will receive the National Medal at a White House ceremony held later in Washington, D.C., and a $10,000 award in recognition of our extraordinary community impact. Cincinnati Museum Center is the incredible result of merging legacy institutions, a children’s museum and OMNIMAX Theater that breathed life back into a National Historic Landmark. U.S. presidents and young children alike have been awestruck by the grandeur and beauty of our iconic home—Cincinnati Union Terminal. Since its 1933 opening, Union Terminal has welcomed more than 150 million visitors. Now, as home to Cincinnati Museum Center, visitors BUILDING on History are encouraged to share dialogue, are inspired to become lifelong learners and are led to develop insights from the voices of our past, the world around us and question how we can impact the future. 1 Recognized recently by Forbes Traveler magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the nation, Cincinnati Museum Center is a key regional and national destination, bringing new money to our region, creating $87 million of economic impact, through relevant and thought-provoking exhibits and programming and by provid- ing a center for community dialogue and understanding. Perhaps Marie Dornbusch, a Cincinnati public school teacher wrote it best, “…I bring students from all academic levels, abilities and economic backgrounds. We all leave inspired and fueled to learn more about our world and all that’s in it.” The National Medal is a tribute to the quality of our passionate staff, trustees, donors, members, volunteers and community partners SINCERELY, whose unwavering dedication to our mission and efforts have made Douglass W. McDonald R. Keith Harrison us a unique asset and vital community resource. On behalf of the staff and Board of Trustees, thank you for your contribution to mak- President and CEO Chair, Board of Trustees ing Cincinnati Museum Center one of our nation’s best museums. BUILDING on HISTORY • 2009 Annual Report HISTORIC Moments Full of milestones, The crowning celebrations in October, the sold-out achievements and Diamond Jubilee Gala, and highly popular Gala Express, celebrations, the were great successes. Board member Francie Hiltz, 2008–09 fiscal year Diamond Jubilee Gala chair, said, “Through great fortune, was one to remember! Union Terminal has survived changes in our society and Memorable events in- has been re-adapted to serve a noble purpose—the cluded Union Terminal’s education of our community.” It was an elegant evening 75th Anniversary and that honored Union Terminal’s past, present and future. Diamond Jubilee The Gala Express after party was chaired by Francie’s Gala, the Duke Energy son, Peter Hiltz, and featured a Hollywood DJ, a buffet Children’s Museum’s of classic Cincinnati foods and a crowd of fashionable 10th Birthday, the first young people. In total, the events raised more than any ever Learning Through Play conference and a community other event in our history! viewing of the inauguration of our nation’s first African American president, among others. Another milestone celebrated in October 2008 was the 10th birthday of Duke Energy Children’s Museum, which Visitors were awed at the sight of Union Cincinnati Museum Center celebrated Union Terminal’s is consistently ranked among the top ten children’s mu- Terminal’s majestic dome, framed by the vibrant colors of Rozzi’s fireworks, at the Frisch’s 75th Anniversary with fanfare in a year-long series seums in the country. The 10th Birthday was celebrated Fireworks & Family Picnic Night. of programs and events that included the Frisch’s with a special exhibit, Adventures with Clifford The Big (Photo: Robert Webber) Fireworks & Family Picnic Night; a partnership with Red Dog™. In addition, there were performances by (right) Francie Hiltz, board member and chair of the Diamond Jubilee Gala, and her son Peter, WVXU and the National Public Grammy-nominated children’s musician chair of the Gala Express, begin the evening on Radio StoryCorps Project; a Zak Morgan, and a family-friendly party for the dance floor. time capsule ceremony; Project longtime members and founders of the (opposite) Reakirt Auditorium was one of sev- eral spaces at Union Terminal filled with people Vintage Fashion, a period fashion children’s museum. As part of the celebra- at the community viewing of the presidential show in partnership with the tion, Duke Energy Children’s Museum also inauguration. University of Cincinnati’s DAAP recognized 10 Difference Makers in the fashion design department, Cincinnati community who have improved sponsored by Macy’s; a 1940s and enriched the lives of area youth. These weekend and historic tours with individuals were nominated by their peers, Cincinnati Heritage Programs. selected by a panel of judges and honored at a special luncheon. CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER Another Duke Energy Children’s Museum first was the After 76 years, Learning Through Play: Start School Right! conference this magnificent in March. Museum Center partnered with area agencies building has been at the and educators, offering nearly 400 attendees opportuni- center of countless historic ties to learn about brain development, school prepared- moments. The first of which ness, health and parent support, and the ways in which was its construction in play can be used as a tool for learning. the midst of the worst economic depression in 2009 also marked U.S. history. When it was an important dedicated in 1933, with a $41 million price tag (more national historic than $650 million today), event, the election Union Terminal was like of our country’s first nothing anyone had ever African American seen. Privately financed, the president. As a vision for this grand train center for commu- station, with its majestic nity and dialogue, dome ceiling, mosaics, bas- Museum Center relief sculpture and stun- invited the public to ning Art Deco architecture, inspired supporters of the project to invest. There were few 3 come together and 1930s-era projects of that scale; among them the Empire State Building, the Golden watch the historic Gate Bridge and Rockefeller Center. inauguration of our 44th president, Union Terminal operated as a passenger rail station from 1933 to 1972. During WWII, Barack Obama. More than 2,000 people joined together as many as 34,000 people came through the building each day as military personnel to watch the telecast of the inaugural parade and were shipped across the country for basic training and deployment. In 1942, Edgar L. ceremony. People young and old, from all walks of life, Willig, originally from Price Hill, tells of a “secret” train trip that he and his 500 fellow cheered side by side. Museum Center held this event Navy sailors took from Norfolk, Virginia to San Francisco, stopping in Cincinnati. He with support from Radio One and the United Food and thought, “Wow! How could I let my family know?” Before leaving Norfolk, he wrote a quick note in a Reader’s Digest magazine and asked a passerby to send a telegram to Commercial Workers Union Local 1099. his parents. After a long day of travel, they stopped at Union Terminal. “A huge crowd greeted us with resounding applause and cheers. I’ll never forget it! I was home. And These are all moments that contribute to the story of an to my surprise and delight, cheering louder than any others were my Dad, my Aunt Ella, institution that is a treasure to the community, and to the and my younger brothers, Don and Ken.