Author Topic: Cincinnati: Downtown - National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Read 21527 times)

UncleRando · « **Reply #70 on:** May 24, 2007, 08:08:09 AM »

Now this is class...

Freedom Center or speed humps?
BY JANE PRENDERGAST | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
May 24, 2007

CINCINNATI - There’s a new twist today in Cincinnati’s ongoing debate over funding cultural institutions, with a councilman who opposes giving money to the Underground Railroad Freedom Center proposing that $800,000 go instead to speed humps to curb speeding on residential streets.

thomasbw · « **Reply #71 on:** May 24, 2007, 08:31:52 AM »

republicans

edale · « **Reply #72 on:** May 24, 2007, 09:18:55 AM »

God I hate those speed humps on Edwards rd...

UncleRando · « **Reply #73 on:** May 30, 2007, 06:15:08 AM »

Freedom Center money waylaid
$1 million contribution from city headed elsewhere
BY JANE PRENDERGAST | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
May 30, 2007

DOWNTOWN - The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center finds itself in the middle of a money fight at City Hall.

Thanks to some City Council politics, officials of the riverfront museum went from being fairly certain they'd get $1 million from the city this year - the first contribution since the center opened in 2004 - to now just hoping they'll get something.

UncleRando · « **Reply #74 on:** June 01, 2007, 12:51:10 AM »

Freedom Center gets $800K
City divides $3.8 million it allocated for the arts
BY JANE PRENDERGAST | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
June 1, 2007

DOWNTOWN - The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Thursday got $800,000 from the city as part of a $3.8 million arts funding package. City Council gave the same amount to three other arts institutions and created a fund for smaller arts groups and special events.

Also receiving allocations were the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati History Museum and Music Hall.

UncleRando · « **Reply #75 on:** June 04, 2007, 12:28:07 PM »

Spreading Its Wings
Freedom Center is determined to expand its reach
BY BOB DRIEHAUS | CINCINNATI POST
June 4, 2007

DOWNTOWN - The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has its sights set on expanding its reach in eliminating oppression throughout the world, buoyed by a sold-out fund-raiser Saturday night that featured a non-partisan call to action by former President Bill Clinton that left the crowd swooning.

UncleRando · « **Reply #76 on:** July 08, 2007, 08:01:43 AM »

Financial freedom
The Freedom Center has struggled since opening in 2004, but a new plan should help
BY LUCY MAY | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER
July 6, 2007

DOWNTOWN - The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center has eliminated half the crippling deficit it accumulated during its first 18 months of operation and is starting to raise an endowment to secure its future.

UncleRando · « **Reply #77 on:** July 30, 2007, 04:51:53 AM »

I realize that it was free admission, but this is still GREAT news. The more people that visit this museum the better...it is a truly fantastic museum to go experience!

Freedom Center posts single-day attendance record
July 30, 2007 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

DOWNTOWN - The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center experienced its largest single-day attendance on Saturday since opening in August 2004.

thomasbw · « **Reply #78 on:** July 30, 2007, 05:24:28 AM »

the enquirer reported 6300

UncleRando · « **Reply #79 on:** July 30, 2007, 06:12:06 AM »

Well 6,300 is "more than 5,600."

buildingcincinnati · « **Reply #80 on:** July 31, 2007, 11:14:18 AM »

So is 10 million. Let's go with that number!

UncleRando · « **Reply #81 on:** February 12, 2008, 07:42:02 AM »

Cincy Freedom Center requests $3.7M in funds
BY LUCY MAY | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER
February 12, 2008

DOWNTOWN - Officials at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center are seeking more than $3.7 million in state capital funds from Ohio lawmakers.

The riverfront museum wants to make adjustments to some of its galleries and internal spaces, but the biggest chunk of the money would go toward reconfiguring its Second Street entrance to make the facility more inviting from downtown, said Freedom Center CEO Don Murphy.

dmerkow · « **Reply #82 on:** February 12, 2008, 10:17:10 AM »

They did get screwed on the Banks and hopefully the correct some of the factual errors in the history section, presidents in the wrong years. I'm okay with some public money for it.

jessehallum · « **Reply #83 on:** February 29, 2008, 12:42:25 AM »

Citizens list spending priorities

Freedom Center's request among most debated
BY JESSICA BROWN | JLBROWN@ENQUIRER.COM

DOWNTOWN - More than 150 people attended a public hearing Thursday night to weigh in on 38 community projects competing for state funding.

The hearing, in the Hamilton County commission chambers, was packed. Dozens of people spoke.

UncleRando · « **Reply #84 on:** March 14, 2008, 06:03:50 AM »

Freedom Center launches tourism plan
BY ALEXANDER COOLIDGE | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
March 14, 2008

DOWNTOWN - The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center unveiled a new Web site today showcasing other destinations across the Ohio that prior to the Civil War provided safe haven for runaway slaves.

jessehallum · « **Reply #85 on:** March 24, 2008, 12:53:58 AM »

Website lets traveler map Ohio's Underground

CINCINNATI (AP) — Ohio's Division of Tourism has joined the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in promoting Underground Railroad sites around the state.

DoctorB · « **Reply #86 on:** March 26, 2008, 04:05:49 AM »

So any idea where the next kiosks will be? Wilberforce? Westerville? Piqua?

To me, Oberlin and Ripley are obvious. But I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with Zanesville's part, beyond the museum that's there.

JamesMatthew · « **Reply #87 on:** March 26, 2008, 04:19:56 AM »

Is the freedom center just a place for school field trips.?. I've driven past it and generally thats all I see there.

UncleRando · « **Reply #88 on:** March 26, 2008, 04:53:46 AM »

There are a LOT of school field trips there...with many schools requiring it as part of their curriculum. However, I have been there twice and seen families, groups of old people...you know the typical museum crowd.

UncleRando · « **Reply #89 on:** June 13, 2008, 08:00:05 AM »

Freedom Center's future?
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/NEWS0108/306130054

UncleRando · « **Reply #90 on:** June 13, 2008, 08:05:59 AM »

Skirball Foundation gives Freedom Center $1.5M
http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/06/09/daily52.html

oakiehigh · « **Reply #91 on:** June 15, 2008, 04:33:17 AM »

Freedom Center's future?
BY JESSICA BROWN | JLBROWN@ENQUIRER.COM
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080615/NEWS0108/306150003/1077/COL02

Mr. Anderson · « **Reply #92 on:** October 17, 2008, 07:02:42 AM »

Follow link for additional details.

Lincoln exhibit explores his decisions

By Lori Kurtzman • lkurtzman@enquirer.com • October 17, 2008

Yes, you'll see the hat. Two of them, in fact, charcoal black and iconic, preserved beneath temperature-regulated plastic and displayed under muted lighting at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20081017/NEWS01/810170412/

Sherman Cahal · « **Reply #93 on:** December 17, 2008, 05:43:19 AM »

Freedom Center lays off 17
By Lori Kurtzman, Cincinnati Enquirer, December 17, 2008

Hoping to cut costs as the economy worsens and attendance drops, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is laying off 17 full-time employees by year’s end.

Jskinner · « **Reply #94 on:** December 18, 2008, 12:51:48 AM »

Museums must be open on Sundays. I made the mistake of trying to go the Freedom Center about a month ago on a Sunday afternoon. The hours posted on the door said they were open, but the doors were locked. In retrospect, I realize they were closed because there was a Bengals game that day. They are closed then, I think because they share parking.

UncleRando · « **Reply #95 on:** January 22, 2009, 08:31:02 AM »

Freedom Center cuts admission 25% in February and March
http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/19/daily51.html

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is unveiling new “value visit” ticket prices that are 25 percent lower for adults, seniors, students and educators. There will be even lower admission prices for families, the center announced Thursday.

Ram23 · « **Reply #96 on:** November 04, 2009, 10:13:59 AM »

Quote from: Living in Gin on November 04, 2009, 09:06:37 AM

Funny how COAST's blog today mentions nothing about Issue 9, and they're now back to harping about red light cameras.... Fine, let them obsess about that while the city moves ahead with 3C and the streetcar.

COAST was pretty specific about being happy no matter which way it went, because the people got the vote and that was all they were after. Could be BS, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Quote from: DanB on November 04, 2009, 09:58:31 AM

In retrospect, a casino between the stadia would have been a much better idea than the freedom center which isn't exactly bringing in throngs of people. That would have been better at the Harriet Beecher Stowe home in Walnut Hills. Of course, it can only help Broadway Commons, which should have had a baseball park in it already!

Can't you guys see the difference between entertainment and serious discussions? Would people really want to listen to pro-streetcar people talk on the radio all day long?

Good points. The Freedom Center has underperformed since it was built, and it's only real clientele are school kids who are bussed in and then bussed right out. If anything, The Banks will help the Freedom Center stay afloat, whereas I think the center, focal point of the whole development should be the thing bringing people in. At least a streetcar will be able to circulate the huge amount of people the Casino is going to be bringing to downtown down to The Banks where they can enjoy the retail.

jmecklenborg · « **Reply #97 on:** November 04, 2009, 10:26:04 AM »

Don't give COAST an inch. If you haven't learned by now that everything they do is a lie you're never going to.

Attendance at large museums, zoos, etc. is driven by children. Not sure why that's cited as a specific characteristic of the Freedom Center and not Union Terminal, the art museum, etc.

Eighth and State · « **Reply #98 on:** November 04, 2009, 10:46:42 AM »

It would be interesting to know the attendance split by school field trip versus non school field trip.

The zoo has a lot of school field trips. You can tell by all the school buses. But the zoo also has a lot of families.

I found out that the zoo has had record attendance this year, by the way. The attribute it to the bad economy. Families are going to the zoo instead of taking longer trips.

Ram23 · « **Reply #99 on:** November 04, 2009, 12:05:56 PM »

Quote from: jmecklenborg on November 04, 2009, 10:26:04 AM

Don't give COAST an inch. If you haven't learned by now that everything they do is a lie you're never going to.

Attendance at large museums, zoos, etc. is driven by children. Not sure why that's cited as a specific characteristic of the Freedom Center and not Union Terminal, the art museum, etc.

I can't find stats to back it up, but I would bet the farm that the Zoo and Museum Center have a much higher percentage of visitors that are families with kids, rather than school trips. Not to mention they have a lasting appeal that the Freedom Center just does not have. The Zoo and Museum each do around a million in annual attendance, the Freedom Center does less than 200,000. For comparison sake, the Creation Museum does almost 350,000 per year, very few of which are school provided trips.

The point I was trying to make is that it seems like a bad fit to me. I think that both downtown and the Freedom Center would be better off if some more thought would have gone into the arrangement.

Quote from: jim uber on November 04, 2009, 10:54:18 AM

No. The vote they wanted the people to have was the vote on any expenditure on any rail project in Cincinnati. Not the vote that happened yesterday, which is what you implied. I mean, that's just nonsensical - if they just wanted the vote they got yesterday, the result would have never mattered, and they would have succeeded just by gathering 6000 signatures.

No, COAST lost yesterday. They care, and yes, anything else is BS, and not deserving of any benefit, from doubts or otherwise.

I heard from a number of COAST and other Issue 9 supporters that they would be fine with either outcome. Of course they prefer that it passed, but half their platform was built on the "we demand a vote" concept, and if the people vote that they really don't want a vote, then they have spoken. I always try to see things from neutral ground with an open mind, and then make my decisions.

Before you go all up in arms against me, know that I spent the last 3 Saturday's knocking on doors asking people to vote no on 9!

Sherman Cahal · « **Reply #100 on:** November 04, 2009, 12:16:07 PM »

The Freedom Center did not exist before the Freedom Center, and it used faulty justification for its construction. 500,000 visitors a year! Appease the black population in Cincinnati post-riots! Educational experience! Fiscally responsible and nearly self-sufficient. Except that it draws fewer than 200,000 a year, NAACP is still ticked and they are asking for more money with each coming crisis. If the Freedom Center had existed before, and was looking for newer facilities due to its popularity, then it could be justified. Right now, it is one giant copper boondoogle on the riverfront.

John Schneider · « **Reply #101 on:** November 04, 2009, 12:19:38 PM »

^

The Freedom Center was conceived well before the "riots" of 2001.

jmecklenborg · « **Reply #102 on:** November 04, 2009, 12:23:39 PM »

The Freedom Center isn't quite water under the bridge. Perhaps in 20-30 years it will evolve into a significant institution and everyone will forget its bleak beginnings. Typically an institution moves to a high profile location after having established itself; here the cart was in front of the horse. This happened in part because the push to build the freedom center came along at the same time as the stadium projects. There was and still is a ton of land to fill between those stadiums, and the Freedom Center had first dibs and so naturally they chose the center parcel. Who could have survived politically who demanded the Freedom Center not be located on the riverfront? Nothing else was competing for that location.

Further, the value of a museum/zoo/whatever shouldn't be gauged by attendance alone. We have a nice zoo, but it's also over 100 years old and has had generations to evolve into what it is. I don't think the museum center museums are particularly good museums. The new cave is definitely not as good as the old cave, most Omnimax movies are hopelessly cheesy, etc.

Sherman Cahal · « **Reply #103 on:** November 04, 2009, 12:32:58 PM »

Sorry, going off-topic here, will recreate in another thread if desired.

dmerkow · « **Reply #104 on:** November 04, 2009, 12:36:19 PM »

The Freedom Center is such an odd mix of history and political correctness. Driehaus and others are looking to get it swallowed by the national park system and become a part of a emancipation museum that some Congress folks are pushing.

If the casino folks are willing to pay to bring (or at least sponsor) the streetcar over to the east that would be great, but yeah it has to be planned through to Gilbert even if it takes a while to get up Gilbert - though even stopping at Channel 9 would be very useful - put an escalator up to Mt. Adams and you've got a great tourist-resident connection.

News:

Author Topic: Cincinnati: Downtown - National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Read 21527 times)