
Cleveland Union Terminal combined both “seam” (intercity) and “traction”
(local transit) railroad operations. Separate but connected entrances, concourses,
and stairways to track-level platforms permitted easy all-weather transfers between
the two travel modes. In this view of the Traction Concourse several of the traveler-oriented
shops that line the concourse can be seen. The shallow vaulting and classically
inspired storefront ornamentation were traditional architectural elements in the
otherwise modern facility. The strings of lights were part of an effort to brighten
up the terminal in the early 1980s. (Jeffrey T. Darbee)