Cincinnati, Ohio In April 2003, the Port Authority issued its first financing in the amount of $50 million in tax-exempt bonds to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Freedom Center) for the construction of the museum. The Port Authority was able to serve as a conduit issuer of these bonds because, under Ohio state law, port authorities are among the few entities permitted to issue tax-exempt bonds for cultural facilities.

The $110 million Freedom Center is organized into three five-story pavilions totaling 158,000 square feet with green space south of the facility connecting the Freedom Center to the Central Riverfront Park. Opened in August 2004 and employing more than 100 people, the Freedom Center welcomed more than 355,000 visitors in its first eighteen months of operation.