Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Monumental Advertisements: Branded Buildings

Episode Date: May 2, 2026

This week, we talk about spectacular landmarks built by visionary entrepreneurs.These magnificent buildings stand in Toronto, New York and Chicago.They are all very different in design, built in different eras, but they share one thing in common.They are all named after famous brands.And it’s easy to forget that.We know you want to listen to all the ads in this show. On the off-chance you don’t, subscribe ad-free here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mama me, that's a spicy meatball. What love doesn't conquer. Alka-Seltzer will. What a relief. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel met as kids in grade six. They were performing in a school play of Alice in Wonder. Garfunkel had a great singing voice, and Simon recognized it immediately.

When Simon got his first guitar, the two of them got together to sing and write songs. They wrote a hit in 1957 titled Hey School Girl and recorded it under the name Tom and Jerry. They were just 15 at the time. Simon and Garfunkel realized they had a gift for harmonizing. But when subsequent songs didn't chart, the duo split up. Art Garfunkel eventually enrolled in Columbia University to study architecture. He had great admiration for Frank Lloyd Wright, arguably the most famous architect of the 20th century.

While at Columbia, he bumped into Paul Simon again, who showed him some new songs he had written, including one excellent track titled, The Sound of Silence. That song led to a record contract. The duo recorded their first album titled Wednesday Morning 3am, which was released in 1964. The album had disappointing sales, so they broke up again. Simon went to England, Garfunkel went back to architecture. A full year later, the producer of Wednesday morning 3am remixed the sound of silence,

and added electrical instrumentation to the original acoustic version. The remix went to number one on the charts in 1965. That success persuaded Simon and Garfunkel to reunite. For the next five years, they recorded multiple hit songs and albums. In 1967, director Mike Nichols asked Simon and Garfunkel to record the soundtrack to his new movie, The Graduate. it. That soundtrack included the hit song, Mrs. Robinson. But as the year 1970 approached, Simon and Garfunkel weren't getting along. They were working on an album that would be titled

Bridge Over Troubled Water. It would be their opus. But there was troubled water in the relationship. In the middle of making the album, Mike Nichols cast Art Garfunkel to act in a movie titled Catch 22. It was shooting in Mexico, and Garfunkel would be away for two months. Those two months turned into five months. Meanwhile, a frustrated Paul Simon was waiting to finish the album, and he knew Garfunkel's enthusiasm for acting was going to lead to a breakup. So, he wrote a song titled So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright. If you listen to the lyrics, they are not about architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Simon wrote, So long Frank Lloyd Wright, All of the nights we harmonized till dawn, I never laughed so long, so long, so long. The song is about Art Garfunkel. Paul Simon has since said Garfunkel going to Mexico to pursue an acting career was the final straw that led to the breakup.

Garfunkel said he didn't realize the song was about him until years later. Interestingly, the lyric So Long morphs in the song. At first, it's that they laughed for so long, then So Long turns to goodbye. So Long Frank Lloyd Wright was not a song about an architect. It was a farewell to Art Garfunkel. Today's show is not about Art Garfunkel. It's about architects.

More specifically, it's about spectacular landmarks. built by visionary entrepreneurs. These famous buildings stand in Toronto, New York, and Chicago. They are all very different in design, built in different eras, but they share one thing in common. They are all named after famous brands, and it's easy to forget that. Automobile entrepreneur Walter P. Chrysler had a dream,

and it wasn't about cars. He wanted to build a structure that would be the tallest in the world. If you look at the Chrysler building in Midtown Manhattan today, it still stands out as one of the most spectacular skyscrapers in a city of skyscrapers. It has an art deco design, especially noticeable at its unique stainless steel sunburst top, a detail no other skyscraper had than or now.

Walter Chrysler was riding high in 1928 when construction began. He had just been chosen as Time Magazine's Man of the Year. Because Walter was the founder of the massive and prosperous Chrysler Corporation, he wanted to, quote, build a monument to the golden years of the automobile industry. He told the architect he wanted several car-centric additions. The stainless steel crown atop the Chrysler building was meant to create the gleaming appearance of a car's chrome trim.

The famous giant gargoyles on the exterior corners of the 61st floor are exact duplicates of the hood ornaments and radiator caps on Chrysler and Plymouth cars. On the 31st floor exterior, a mosaic of a wheel with hubcaps, fenders, and mud flaps appears to race around the sides of the building. That automotive theme continues inside the line. lobby, where a giant mural titled Transport and Human Endeavor covers the ceiling. It was a tribute to ocean liners, airplanes, and the Chrysler assembly line. Walter Chrysler not only wanted a monument to his company, he wanted it to be the tallest

building in the world. The 1920s saw a skyscraper boom in New York. Tower building became a competitive sport. Another tower was being built in Manhattan at the same time. It was located at 40 Wall Street and promised to be the tallest building in the world. Walter Chrysler waited patiently until that building was finished. Then, 30 days later, he unveiled a spire that was lifted into place, making the Chrysler building the tallest in the world.

At 1,046 feet tall, it stole the title from 40 Wall Street, Street and the Eiffel Tower. The Chrysler Corporation didn't pay for the skyscraper, nor did the company control it, as Walter Chrysler paid for the construction out of his own pocket. The entire building was put up in just 14 months, costing $20 million in 1928, the equivalent of $390 million today. Walter Chrysler kept an office and a huge, luxurious apartment on the top floor, and liked to boast that he had the tallest toilet in Manhattan.

Walter Chrysler's intention was to have the building become the headquarters for the Chrysler Corporation, but that never happened. In fact, he seldom visited and remained at Chrysler's headquarters in Detroit for the rest of his working life. Walter Chrysler's dream of having the tallest building in New York was short-lived, as the Empire State Building stole the title, just one year later. The 1960s was a boom time in Toronto. Tall buildings spreadered up downtown,

and that posed a problem. Existing transmission towers were suddenly not tall enough to broadcast radio and television signals. To solve that issue, Canadian National, then a Crown Corporation that operated Canada's largest railway network,

decided to build a new tower on its surplus railway lands. The plan had an ambitious goal. It was to be the tallest tower in the world, a symbol of Canadian innovation and industry. This transmitting tower would also have a restaurant and an observation deck. It would cost $63 million to build

or the equivalent of $475 million today. And it would be christened, the CN Tower. On February 6, 1973, 1,500 workers began to remove 56 metric tons of earth and shale for the foundation. For the next 40 months, construction of the CN Tower's tapered contour hummed along. And a tower that exceeded 1,000 feet,

needed certain architectural characteristics. A lot of wind comes off Lake Ontario, so the tower required an innovative shape and interior structure to withstand those heavy gusts. Therefore, the sand tower gets narrower as it climbs, so there is less surface area that the wind can push, and the wider, triangular base gives the structure a center of gravity. To provide even more flex,

a huge bundle of tightened steel cables runs the full height of the tower, limiting how much the building can sway. And sway it does. The top antenna, which was placed on the tower by a giant 10-ton-Sikorsky helicopter, can sway over two meters or six feet during big storms. The main observation level can sway by roughly half a meter or 1.5 feet in the wind.

By the way, while removing a crane used during assembly of the tower, a Sikorsky Transport helicopter named Olga suddenly became caught on the tower when the crane's bolts seized. That left a helicopter dangling 1,500 feet in the air with limited fuel. A frantic scramble to free Olga began, and with only 14 minutes of fuel to spare,

the workers managed to melt the bolts and free the helicopter. Yikes. The CN Tower is also hit by, lightning an average of 75 times a year, that had to be taken into consideration. So a series of copper strips runs the entire length of the CN Tower and are fed to grounding rods buried below the ground floor. Because copper is very conductive, it allows electrical discharge to run through the wires and diffuse into the ground. I remember looking at the CN Tower one night during a storm

and a huge bolt of lightning suddenly zapped the top of the tower. It was spectacular and slightly terrifying in a Dr. Frankenstein kind of way. The CN Tower was opened to the public in June of 1976. Total height, 553.33.33 meters or 1,814 feet and 5.5 inches. It was the tallest freestanding structure in the world. world. While the tower costs $63 million to build in the early 70s, it earned its money back in 15 years. Today, the CN Tower transmits 17 television and FM radio station signals. It is also the workplace of over 500 people throughout the year, and attracts 2 million tourists annually. The

CN Tower is a landmark symbol of Toronto, and one we all take for granted now. But it is a It is a branded tower, as CN stands for Canadian National. When we come back, a magnificent skyscraper is built with chewing gum. If you're enjoying this episode, you might also like, from Badawa to Port Sunlight, the story of company towns, season 11, episode 14, where we tell the story of a town named after a dish soap. You'll find the episode on your favorite podcast app. If you've ever looked at the south bank of the Chicago River in the windy city, your eyes would be drawn to a historic skyscraper, the Wrigley building,

a structure built from chewing gum, not literally but definitely figuratively. William Wrigley Jr., as we've mentioned in the past, was a door-to-door soap salesman in 1892. As an incentive to buy his soap, he offered customers a small gift of baking soda. Soon, he discovered the baking soda was more popular than his soap, so he pivoted to selling baking soda. As an incentive to buy his baking soda, he offered customers two packs of chewing gum with each purchase. Soon he discovered the gum was more popular than his baking soda.

So Wrigley began a chewing gum company in 1891. He sold many different kinds of gum, including a flavor called Juicy Fruit, launched in 1893. The following year, he introduced spearmint gum. At the end of the 19th century, the chewing gum business was extremely competitive. The six largest gum manufacturers in the country joined together to create a chewing gum trust. That almost monopolistic control of the industry put a big dent into Wrigley's business, but he was determined to succeed.

He was a big believer in advertising. His motto was, tell him quick and tell him often. Riggily placed ads in magazines in newspapers and produced posters. Even in economic downturns, he never stopped advertising. Soon, the Riggly Company was one of the top five advertisers in the nation. By 1909, the William Riggily Jr. company was earning more than $1.9 million in sales revenue. Rigley's spearmint gum became the best-selling gum in the country, which he advertised on radio. When you've got a job to do, reach for something good to chew. Chewing helps you stand the pace, any time and any place.

So, hi-ho, hey, hey, chew your little. troubles away hi-ho, hey, to Rigley's pyramid gum. As the company expanded into Canada, Australia and Great Britain,

the idea of building a striking corporate headquarters in Chicago was appealing to Rigley. His approach to architecture mirrored his approach to marketing.

Don't be ordinary. Stand out. Make people notice you. So he chose a site that overlooked the Chicago River. Where most office buildings have other buildings beside and behind them on a city block, the proposed Regley building stood alone on the south bank of the river.

Therefore, the building would be viewed on all four sides, which meant the architectural design would be held to a higher standard. Riggily's white terracotta building was 438 feet tall, consisting of two towers, a 30-story south tower and a 21-story north tower, looking down on the magnificent mile. Riggily wanted a crowning touch on his building, something that would make people look at it every day. So he ordered an impressive four-sided clock to be installed on the South Tower,

measuring six meters or 20 feet in diameter. The clock tower was the jewel of the Wrigley building's undeniable grandeur. It is one of the most famous architectural landmarks in Chicago. When William Wrigley died in 1932, his company was earning $75 million a year, with factories in eight cities in five different countries. The Wrigley building was not just a monument to his success, it was a monumental advertisement for Wrigley's chewing gum. When we come back, a heartbroken father builds a legendary music hall for his late son.

The Massey Manufacturing Company was founded by Daniel Massey in 1847. It was a successful business that manufactured farm equipment and would grow to become an international giant. Nine years later, in 1856, sole ownership of the business moved to Daniel's son, Hart Massey. The Massey company was innovative, making the first mechanical threshers among many other labor-saving farm implements. In 1891, the company merged with A. Harris' son and company to become Massey Harris.

It manufactured threshing machines, reapers, and a popular line of tractors. The company now had a huge complex of buildings that covered 11 acres in Toronto and was the largest factory in the city, employing 700 workers. Many years later, in 1953, it would merge with the Ferguson Company of Ireland to become Massey Ferguson. Back in 1870, ill-health forced Hart Massey to retire. His four sons, Charles, Walter, Chester, and Fred took over the business. Eldest son Charles loved music. He was a church organist and founded the Massey Cornette band.

He also oversaw the construction. of a facility for an employee orchestra and glee club. In 1884, Charles came down with typhoid and died at the young age of 35. Hart was devastated. He was determined to honor Charles' memory. As a tribute to Charles and his love of music, his father Hart built Toronto's Massey Hall in 1894.

Massey Music Hall, as it was known until 1933, was gifted to the city to foster an interest in, quote, music, education, temperance, industry, good citizenship, patriotism, philanthropy, and religion. The cost of the hall at that time was $150,000, or the equivalent of $5.8 million today. Seating consisted of an orchestra, two balconies, six private boxes, stage boxes,

and tiered on-stage seating, with a capacity of 3,500. The Cornerstone was laid in 1893, and the grand opening concert took place on June 14, 1894. That night, a 500-member chorus and the 70-member Grand Festival Orchestra performed this famous piece. Until the 1920s, Massey Hall was the only building in Canada

built expressly from musical performances. It became the home of the Mendelssohn Choir in 1895 and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1906 to 1918, then again from 1923 to 1982. The acoustics in the hall have been praised by audiences for decades and has even been improved as Massey was close for a massive $142 million renovation from 2018 until 2021. Over the years, Massey Hall dropped the word music from its name

and hosted many renowned performances, not all of them music. The list of past performers is remarkable and worth noting. Winston Churchill spoke twice in 1900 in 2001, Enrico Caruso performed in 2008. The great Jack Dempsey put on an exhibition boxing match there in 1919, Oscar Peterson and a 13-year-old Glenn Gould made their Massey Hall debuts within two weeks of each other in 1946. A legendary jazz concert on May 15, 1953, marked the only time Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach ever played together. It was sparsely attended that night, but is considered by some to be the greatest jazz concert ever.

Duke Ellington performed there four times. Louis Armstrong played twice. Neil Young's solo acoustic performance was released as a record titled Live at Massey Hall, 1971. Pavarotti sung there. So did Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Kat Stevens, The Tragically Hip, and Ringo Star.

Jerry Seinfeld and Conan O'Brien have performed there. and the late great Gordon Lightfoot first played Massey in 1967, then played there over 170 times. He called Massey, The Center of My Universe, as a musician. The list goes on and on. Massey Hall was named a heritage site by the city of Toronto in 1973 and was designated a National Historic Site in 1981. Vincent Massey, son of Chester and 18th Governor General of Canada,

once called the Hall the grand old lady of Shooter Street. She still stands proudly, with its famous neon sign hanging above its legendary red doors. Massey Hall, built to honor the memory of a Massey son, funded by the fortunes of the Massey Farm Equipment Company. As time marches on, it's easy to forget that many architectural landmarks are actually named after famous brands. The CN Tower is the tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere, a tower named for Canadian National, which is now a private corporation.

Walter Chrysler's family sold their building in 1953, but it is still called the Chrysler building to this day, built to be a shining advertisement for the Chrysler Corporation. The Riggly Company is now owned by the Mars Company, but the Riggly building was constructed as a 30-story monument to Wrigley's chewing gum. Massey Hall was built by a grieving father as a tribute to his son, and the Massey Farm Equipment Company as benefactor has long disappeared into the mists of time. It's interesting.

Just as so long Frank Lloyd Wright was not really about the architect, These famous buildings are not really about the architecture. The really long-standing reminders of powerful brands. When you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the Terstream Mobile Recording Studio. Producer Debbie O'Reilly, Chief Sound Engineer Jeff Devine, theme music by Casey Pick, Jeremiah Pick, and James Aiton.

Tunes provided by APM Music. me at Terry O Influence. This podcast is powered by ACAST. Terry's top slogans of all time. Number eight. Let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages. See you next week.