Exhibition at Allied Chemical in Times Square

Joe Rice interviews Louis M. Leonard, Communications Executive of Allied Chemical Corporation, about a three-floor exhibition located in the company's headquarters at Times Square. They discuss the location of the building at 44nd street and Times Square, which was previously home to the New York Times.

Next Leonard takes the listener on an aural tour of the exhibition spaces. The exhibition on the first floor called "Moon City," lets the visitor imagine what life will be like on the moon in the year 2000. On the second floor, visitors are welcomed to participate in consumer tests for products being developed by Allied Chemical. This exhibit includes a show, "Magic of Chemistry," in which "two very attractive young lady guides" use chemicals to create substances like nylon before the viewer's eyes.

"New Horizons in Paper," the exhibit on the third floor, features new uses and developments for this material in building, textiles, and printing money. For example, the viewer can see a $1,000,000 bill. The exhibit opens with a bridge made of paper. Leonard says that a 1,900-pound elephant named Champagne opened the paper exhibit by walking across the bridge to demonstrate its tensile strength.

Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection

WNYC archives id: 151856
Municipal archives id: T6032