# 5762 - 2023 First-Class Forever Stamp - Historic Railroad Stations: Union Terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio

U.S. #5762
2023 Union Terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio
Historic Railroad Stations

• Honors Union Terminal railroad station in Ohio
• Part of the Historic Railroad Stations set which celebrates the railroad stations that revolutionized the transportation of goods and people across America

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Historic Railroad Stations
Value:  63¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  March 9, 2023
First Day City:  Cincinnati, Ohio
Quantity Issued:  30,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Flexographic
Format:  Panes of 20
Self-Adhesive

Why the stamp was issued:  Issued to honor Union Terminal train station as well as the history, nostalgia, and romance of train travel.

About the stamp design:  Along with the other four in the set, this stamp pictures digital illustrations and typography by Down the Street Designs.  The Union Terminal design pictures the railroad station brightly lit against a starry night sky.  You’ll also see the massive clock on the front of the station as well as some of the surrounding gardens, including the impressive fountain in the front.

First Day City:  The Historic Railroad Stations stamps has their First Day of Issue Ceremony in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Cincinnati Union Terminal.  Its awe-inspiring art deco style, massive size, and the fact that it was pictured on one of the stamps in the set made it a perfect location for the First Day of Issue Ceremony.

About the Historic Railroad Stations set:  There are five different railroad stations depicted in the set:  Tamaqua Station in Pennsylvania; Point of Rocks Station in Maryland; Main Street Station in Virginia; Santa Fe Station in California; and Union Terminal in Ohio.  All stations (except Tamaqua) were in use for passenger service at the time the stamps were issued, and all five are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

History the stamp represents:  Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, was built from 1929 to 1933, after many years of indecision over location, design, and cost.  It opened nine months ahead of schedule and was called a “Temple to Transportation” by newspapers across the country.  It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Union Terminal was designed by Roland Wank of New York architecture firm Fellheimer and Wagner.  His plan included Gothic architecture, but a consultant (Paul Philippe Cret) altered the final design to an Art Deco style.  The completed station cost $41 million to build and the entire complex encompasses 287 acres with 94 miles of train tracks.  The station itself was designed to hold 17,000 passengers and accommodate 216 trains per day.  The rotunda design is the largest half-dome in the western hemisphere to this day.

There was a brief period of time between 1972 and 1991 that passenger train service came to a halt at Union Terminal, but it continues today.  The terminal has been renovated several times over the years and today is a mixture of history and modern amenities.  Union Terminal is home to an OMNIMAX theater, the Cincinnati History Library and Archives, three museums, and much more.  It’s a sight to behold and a reminder of the continued appeal of travel by train.