This 39-by-26-inch vertical panorama documents office interiors within Cincinnati Union Terminal—the magnificent Art Deco railroad station that opened in 1933 as the last of America’s great train stations. The vertical format suits documentation of interior spaces with significant ceiling height.

Created in 1989, the work captures interior elements of a building whose public spaces are celebrated while its administrative areas remain less documented. Union Terminal’s design extended Art Deco aesthetic throughout the structure, from the iconic half-dome concourse to offices and service areas. The attention to design in non-public spaces demonstrated the comprehensive vision of architects Fellheimer and Wagner.

The terminal’s construction during the Great Depression represented extraordinary civic investment in infrastructure whose usefulness would be brief. Automobile and air travel had already begun undermining rail passenger service, and Union Terminal would serve its intended purpose for only decades before declining ridership threatened the building’s survival.

The vertical format captures the office spaces’ proportions—higher ceilings than contemporary commercial buildings, generous dimensions reflecting pre-war expectations for workspace. The photo collage technique fragments these interior volumes while preserving their spatial generosity.

Cincinnati Union Terminal survived multiple near-demolitions to become a museum complex and functioning Amtrak station. The offices that Hayashi documented may have been converted to museum use or retained administrative functions within the repurposed building. This panorama preserves Art Deco interior design that the building’s famous public spaces might overshadow.