Procter and Gamble headquarters

Sunday
After church this morning, followed by lunch we headed downtown to the Aronoff Center, for the finals of the international piano competition, for which we had free tickets, courtesy of one of Roger's colleagues. Afterwards I took a few photos around downtown. The Procter & Gamble Company, the industrial giant for which Cincinnati is probably best known, was founded by James Gamble and William Procter in 1837 to process byproducts - wax, candles, and soap - of Cincinnati's thriving pork-packing industry. Concentrating on soap, the company prospered in the 19th century, and has since diversified widely and successfully. Some of its best known brand names include Ariel, Tide and Gain laundry detergents, Bounty paper towel, Cover Girl women's cosmetics, Crest toothpaste, Dawn dish-washing detergent, Downy/Lenor fabric softener, Duracell batteries and flashlights, Gillette safety razor and male grooming products, Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioners, Olay women's skin care products, Oral-B toothbrush and oral care products, Pampers disposable diaper and other baby care products and Pringles potato chips. We can also thank (?) P & G for soap operas. P & G produced and sponsored the first radio soap operas in the 1930s (Procter & Gamble's being known for detergents (soaps) was probably the genesis of the term "soap opera"). When the medium switched to television in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the new serials were sponsored and produced by the company. The building in the foreground dates back to 1956. The double-towered facility in the background, sometimes referred to as the salt and pepper shakers was added in the mid-80's. Together with their landscaped gardens, they extend the length of two city blocks. The fountain in the foreground is on the corner of the Chiquita Building, a producer and distributor of bananas and other produce, another big Cincinnati company.

One year ago: Lacock Abbey