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Located on the
The clock face, with a minute hand and a hour hand, both of laminated aluminum, is nearly twice the size of
History of the Coca-Cola Clock on The Brookline Connection
{{Pittsburgh Clocks in the United States Individual signs in the United States Billboards Industrial buildings and structures in Pittsburgh Industrial buildings completed in 1933 1933 establishments in Pennsylvania
Duquesne Brewing Company
The Duquesne Brewing Company was a major brewery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from its founding in 1899 until its dissolution in 1972. The brand was revived under the name Duquesne Brewing Company in 2008, in order to re-establish the beer in We ...
building in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, the Duquesne Brewery Clock was the largest single-face clock in the world when it was installed in 1933. Over the years its face has been used to advertise numerous brands, beginning with Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
.
History
The clock face, with a minute hand and a hour hand, both of laminated aluminum, is nearly twice the size of London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
's Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...
, and was built in Georgia by Audichron {{inline, date=July 2024
Audichron was a speaking clock, talking clock, or a time announcer which was developed and produced by the Audichron Company, starting in the 1930s. There were several types of Audichron machines including the stand time pie ...
for $12,500 and shipped to Pittsburgh. The clock, designed by Audichron founder John L. Franklin, is driven by a Janett motor.
Originally located on a Mount Washington
Mount Washington is an ultra-prominent mountain in the state of New Hampshire. It is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River.
The mountain is notorio ...
hillside, the clock's face was used as advertising for a succession of beverages, including Coca-Cola, and Fort Pitt, Ballantine, Carling, and Schlitz beers. In 1961, the Duquesne Brewing Company bought the clock, painted its "Have A Duke" slogan on the face and installed it atop its building in the South Side where it has been running since. After the brewery closed in 1972, the clock was leased to Stroh's Beer, then WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with ABC. It has been owned by Hearst Television since the station's inception, making this one of two stations that have been built and signe ...
Channel 4. After WTAE's lease ended in 1993, the clock continued to run without an ad. The Pittsburgh Brewing Company
Pittsburgh Brewing Company (formerly known as Iron City Brewing Company) is a beer company headquartered in the Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh), Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, best known for producing brand ...
paid $44,000 to repair the clock when it took over in 1999, paying $5,000 a month to show its logo on the face. In 2002, Equitable Gas
EQT Corporation is an American energy company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and pipeline transport. It is headquartered in EQT Plaza in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
EQT is the largest natural gas producer in the Appalachian Basin with 19.802 ...
paid to have their name placed on the clock. In October 2009, AT&T
AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
took over the rights to advertise on the clock and redesigned the face to display the traditional blue and white AT&T logo.
As of 2017, the clock is running without advertising.
In popular culture
The clock is featured prominently in the 1983 movie ''Flashdance
''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer, Alex Owens, who aspires to become a professional ballerina, alongside Michael Nouri, who plays her ...
''.
References
External links
History of the Coca-Cola Clock on The Brookline Connection
{{Pittsburgh Clocks in the United States Individual signs in the United States Billboards Industrial buildings and structures in Pittsburgh Industrial buildings completed in 1933 1933 establishments in Pennsylvania