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What if factories were "beautified"
GARY, IND. - This industrial city outside Chicago is best known as the birthplace of the Jackson Five, world-class steel production, and for the abundant factories filling its landscape.
But recently, the city is enjoying a renaissance of sorts as it undergoes its first-ever "industrial beautification."
Mandated by the Gary Common Council, the new effort is transforming charcoal-grey buildings and smokestacks into a colorful scene resembling Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.
"I used to sometimes smell fumes in the air," said Mitch Brunstant as he filled the tank of his SUV on South Street. "Then I started smelling cotton candy..."
"Scent of Cotton Candy # 5" in the smokestacks is just one of many changes. "It brought me back to the circus," Brunstant chuckled.
Other radical measures include artificial coloring of the smoke. Smokestacks now release rainbow-colored clouds of yellow, blue and cherry red.
For night viewing, one factory installed a state-of-the-art lazer show to light the plumes of smoke billowing into the night sky.
"It's fun," said Shelly Witherbeans, a local mom. "Suddenly all the kids want to take the factory tours," she said.
One factory redesigned an especially wide smokestack to resemble a giant coffee mug. "We added a handle to the side, then painted the exterior to give it a brown pottery effect. With the fumes rising, it looks like a cup of steaming coffee," said Ronald Shlutnick, owner of Plastimozo Factories Inc. "A bit of java concentrate in the exhaust chamber completes the illusion," he said.
Shlutnick said he was weary of the beautification effort at first. "Like any industry, we shy away from forced regulation. But since it's nearly impossible to filter out every single pollutant, at least we can make the stuff look nice."
Shlutnick said factories often get a "bum rap" for excessive pollution. "Bottom line is lots of stuff cause pollution. Look at all the cars, but cars look nice so people tolerate the pollution. Well, why not make factories pretty? With so much industry moving overseas, it's important we keep what we've got, even treasure it."
Professor Gene Brunshand of Loyola calls the beautification "a marriage of America's industrial roots with modern sentiments."
"Everyone admits that eliminating all pollution is not yet feasible. But making it attractive helps us cope psychologically. This can build support for these industries that our economy needs," said Brunshand.
The professor said it's nothing new to make technology both functional and aesthetically pleasing. "Early on, trains developed a whistle that was soothing to the human ear, so why not make factories more pleasing to the senses?"
Other interesting improvements at Shlutnick's factory include adjusting loud machinery to "keep rhythm."
"We had a guy in here who did percussion work with Herbie Hancock," said Shlutnick as we toured the control center. "He worked with our guys to adjust some things. Now the mechanical bumping and grinding actually keeps a beat."
Standard What-If disclaimer: The preceding is pure fiction.
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