Powel Crosley’s restored 1951 Station Wagon unveiled st Cincinnati Museum Center

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) unveiled a recently restored 1951 Crosley Super Station Wagon at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) today. The car was the personal vehicle of Powel Crosley, Jr. and is one of the newest items in CMC’s collections. It made its public debut at CVG as part of Curate My Community.

Crosley, owner of the Cincinnati Reds from 1934 to 1961, is perhaps best known as the owner of the Crosley Radio Corporation and the founder of WLW, at one time the most powerful radio station in the country. But he also designed and built automobiles. The lime green, wood-paneled 1951 Crosley Super Station Wagon is typical of those produced by Crosley Motors from 1939 to 1952. It was one of over 7,000 cars produced by the company in 1951.

Crosley’s vehicles were small. The Station Wagon’s wheelbase measured just 80 inches. They were also light, with the Station Wagon tipping the scales at just 1,402 pounds. Most importantly, in an era of fuel rationing, Crosley vehicles were fuel efficient, boasting a fuel economy of 30-50 miles per gallon.

“Crosley and his brother Lewis designed and built their first car in the summer of 1900 but competition from other automobile companies forced them to postpone their dream and refocus on radios and broadcasting,” says David Conzett, curator of history objects for Cincinnati Museum Center. “Despite initial interest, people didn’t want a compact car. Gas was cheap and people wanted a big, powerful car to drive on the new interstate system.”

Crosley Motors ceased production in 1952, just one year after a photograph of Crosley’s personal Station Wagon at his Pinecroft Estate was featured on the cover of the Crosley Motors catalog.

The Station Wagon will join three other cars from CMC’s collection now on display at CVG: a 1910 Model K Schacht Runabout, 1925 Ford Model T Depot Hack and another Crosley Motors vehicle, a 1951 Super Convertible. They are on display as part of Curate My Community, a series of CMC exhibits and artifacts displayed across Greater Cincinnati to share the manmade and natural history of the region. As the restoration of Union Terminal necessitates the temporary closure of the Cincinnati History Museum and Museum of Natural History & Science, Curate My Community is an opportunity to continue to visit your favorite CMC pieces and to see rare items on display for the first time.

“Curate My Community is our opportunity to take Cincinnati Museum Center out into the community, to reach new audiences and reconnect with lifelong fans,” says Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “By partnering with a place like the CVG, we can help welcome people to our city by showcasing the incredible science, history and ingenuity that continues to define it.”

You can see Powel Crosley’s 1951 Super Station Wagon for yourself in the baggage claim area at CVG. For a complete list of Curate My Community locations, visit www.cincymuseum.org/curate-my-community.