>> A CHICAGO ICON TURNS 100 THIS
YEAR AND GEOFFREY BAER IS HERE
TO TELL US ALL ABOUT IT IN
TONIGHT'S EDITION OF "ASK
GEOFFREY".
WELCOME BACK GOOD TO HAVE YOU AT
THE STUDIO.
SO TELL US WHAT IMPACT DID THE
WRIGLEY BUILDING HAVE ON
MICHIGAN AVENUE?
>> WHEN THE WRIGLEY BUILDING
OPENED IN 1921, IT INAUGURATED
THIS ERA OF THE MAGNIFICENT
MILE.
SOME PEOPLE TODAY ARE SAYING
THAT THE MAGNIFICENT MILE IS
MAYBE NOT AS MAGNIFICENT AS IT'S
BEEN WITH THE CLOSING OF STORES
LIKE MACY'S AND THE GAP AND THE
DISNEY STORE BUT THE WRIGLEY
BUILDING STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
A LITTLE OVER A CENTURY AGO, THE
STREET NOW KNOWN AS THE MAG MILE
LINED WITH RESTAURANTS, STORES
AND SKY SCAPERS WAS LITTLE MORE
THAN A COUNTRY ROAD CALLED PINE
STREET SKPENDING NORTH FROM THE
SMELLY CHICAGO RIVER LINED WITH
DOCKS, AND WHARVES AND FACTORY
RAILROAD TRACKS.
BUT THE OPENING OF THE MICHIGAN
AVENUE BRIDGE NOW DUSABLE BRIDGE
IN 1920 FOLLOWED BY THE WRIGLEY
BUILDING.
THE.
>> THE AREA WOULD BE AN AREA
THAT MAYBE YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO
BE IN.
AT THE HEART OF INDUSTRY.
>> RIGHT BEHIND WHERE THE
WRIGLEY BUILDING IS WAS A CHEESE
FACTORY.
NOTORIOUSLY ODOR ROUSE AND
ACROSS THE STREET THEY MADE
SOAP.
>> TO MANY PEOPLE THIS MUST HAVE
SEEMED LIKE A CRAZY PLACE TO
BUILD A SKYSCRAPER BUT FOR
CHEWING GUM MOGUL WILLIAM
WRIGLEY, JR. IT WAS A MASTER
STROKE BY A MASTER OF PROMOTION.
WILLIAM WRIGLEY WAS A MAN WITH A
LOT OF ENERGY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW HE GOT
EVERYTHING DONE THAT HE DID.
HE WAS RUNNING THIS GLOBAL
CORPORATION AND RUNNING A
BASEBALL TEAM.
>> THE WRIGLEY BUILDING WAS THE
FIRST SKYSCRAPER NORTH OF THE
CHICAGO RIVER DESIGNED BY ARC R
ARCHITECTS GRAHAM, ANDERSON,
PROBST AND WHITE IT WAS PART OF
THE CITY BEAUTIFUL MOVEMENT THAT
GREW OUT OF DANIEL BURNHAM'S
INSPIRED WHITE CITY AT CHICAGO'S
1893 WORLD'S FAIR.
>> JUST WHAT REALLY APPEALED THE
TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH
WE WERE RELATIVELY NEW COUNTRY,
YOU KNOW STILL, OUR BEACON WHAT
WE WERE HARKENING BACK TO WAS
EUROPE, RIGHT?
SO WE WANTED THE OLD STYLES WE
THOUGHT THAT IS WHAT SHOWED
IMPORTANCE.
>> THE SHINEY EXTERIOR LOOKS ALL
WHITE BUT THERE ARE SIX
DIFFERENT SHADES OF GLAZED
TERRACOTTA TILES TO DRY YOUR EYE
UPWARD.
>> THE BOTTOM HAS A LOT OF BLUE
IN IT A LITTLE BIT DARKER AND AS
IT GOES UP THEY ADD MORE AND
MORE OF LIGHTER COLOR UNTIL AT
THE TOP IT'S THE SHINING WHITE
TOWER THAT IS VISIBLE.
>> A JOG IN MICHIGAN AVENUE GAVE
SHOPPERS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE IN
THE LOOP AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW OF
THE BUILDING.
LIKE AN ALL WHITE VERSION OF THE
EMERALD CITY EN CRUSTED IN
CLASSICAL ORNAMENT IT SEEMS THEY
RAN OUT OF ROOM ON THE WALLS.
LOOK AT THE DETAIL THEY PUT HERE
THAT NO ONE CAN SEE FROM THE
STREET.
WE ARE ON THE ROOF.
>> AT THE TOP OF THE TOWER YOU
SEE A CLOCK FACE AND IT'S TWO
STOREYS IN THE BUILDING BUT IT'S
FULLY ELECTRIC.
SO THAT MAKES IT TO KEEP UP WITH
NEAR PERFECT TIME AN IMPORTANT
WAY FOR CHICAGOANS TO ORIENT
THEMSELVES.
>> AND GAVE PEOPLE ANOTHER
REASON TO LOOK AT Mr.
WRIGLEY'S BUILDING.
THE CLOCK TOWER WAS INSPIRED BY
THE BELL TOWER OF THE SEVILLE
CATHEDRAL IN SPAIN.
>> WHO SETS THE HANDS WHO
CHANGES THE TIME ON THE CLOCK?
>> THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY WITH
RADIOS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE
HAVE SOMEBODY CALLING UP AND
SAYING OK IT'S THIS TIME AND
WE'LL MOVE IT.
>> ABOVE THE CLOCK WAS AN
OBSERVATION DECK EACH VISITOR
GOT A PIECE OF WRIGLEY GUM.
THE DECK WAS YET ANOTHER PART OF
WRIGLEY'S STRATEGY OF USING THE
BUILDING TO PROMOTE HIS
BUSINESS.
>> WRIGLEY NAME IS NOT ON THE
BUILDING BUT YOU CAN SEE IT
ANYWHERE IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO
STANDS OUT AND DOMINATES THE
LANDSCAPE.
>> Mr. WRIGLEY MADE SURE THE
BUILDING WOULD STAND OUT AFTER
DARK LIGHTING THE EXTERIOR FROM
DAY ONE.
WE HAVE LIGHTS ACROSS THE STREET
AND THE WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS
WITH A COUPLE BUILDINGS.
>> THE WRIGLEY FAMILY SOLD THE
BUILDING IN 2011 BUT IN THE
SPIRIT OF WILLIAM WRIGLEY THE
CURRENT OWNER PULLED OUT ALL THE
STOPS TO CELEBRATE THE 100TH
BIRTHDAY INCLUDING A PROMOTIONAL
STUNT Mr. WRIGLEY WOULD LIKELY
HAVE LOVED.
THE OWNERS HELD A CONTEST FOR
100 PEOPLE TO GET MARRIED AT THE
BUILDING.
370 COUPLES ENTERED THE CONTEST.
>> PEOPLE REALLY WROTE THESE
BEAUTIFUL ESSAYS ABOUT WHAT THE
BUILDING MEANS TO THEM.
INTANGIBLE.
>> THE MAG MILE IS ONCE AGAIN AT
A CRITICAL POINT IN ITS HISTORY.
AS MORE CONSUMERS SHOP ON-LINE,
AND MAJOR STORES SHUTTER THEIR
LOCATIONS, SOME SAY THE ICONIC
STREET NEEDS TO BE REIMAGINED.
>> WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT
CAN WE DO THAT MAKES IT MORE
WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN
COME DOWN AND NOT JUST GO IN AND
SHOP BUT EXPERIENCE SOMETHING.
>> LIKE THE STARBUCKS ROSE TERRY
OR THE ICE CREAM MUSEUM PLANNED
TO OPEN AND PROPOSED ATTRACTIONS
IN STORES BASED ON HARRY POTTER
AND KING TUT.
AS MICHIGAN AVENUE ADJUSTS THE
WRIGLEY BUILDING WILL CONTINUE
TO BE A GATEWAY.
>> IT IS AN IMPORTANT LANDMARK
ON MICHIGAN AVENUE THAT MAKES
PEOPLE WONDER AND.
>> IT MEANS SOMETHING.
IT MEANS HOPE.
THE BEACON.
>> AND THE BUILDING WILL
CONTINUE ITS CELEBRATIONS IN
NOVEMBER AT THE MAGNIFICENT MILE
LIGHTS FESTIVAL.
>> AND AS THE BUILDING'S OWNERS
LOOK TO THE FUTURE THEY ARE
MAKING THE HISTORIC LIGHTING
MORE SUSTAINABLE?
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, THE LIGHTS THAT SHINE
ON THE BUILDING TAKE UP A LOT OF
POWER AND THEY ARE UPGRADING THE
LIGHTING SYSTEM.
THEY ARE ADDING LIGHTS THERE ARE
100 LIGHTS AND NOW 300 LIGHTS
BUT THEY ARE LED LIGHTS SO THEY
WILL DECREASE THE ELECTRICITY
USE BY 60-70%.
>> I'M IMPRESSED YOU WERE NOT
PHASED BY BEING ON THE ROOF SO