Novelty architecture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Novelty architecture is a type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual shapes as a novelty, such as advertising, notoriety as a landmark, or simple eccentricity of the owner or architect. Many examples of novelty architecture take the form of buildings that resemble the products sold inside to attract drive-by customers. Others are attractions all by themselves, such as giant animals, fruits, and vegetables, or replicas of famous buildings. And others are merely unusual shapes or made of unusual building materials.
Some hotel casinos on the Las Vegas Strip can be considered novelty architecture, including the pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel and the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, a building designed to look like the New York City skyline.
Novelty architecture is also used extensively in amusement parks such as Disneyland to fit their playful and sometimes retro theme.
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[edit] Programmatic architecture
Programmatic (also known as mimetic or mimic) architecture is characterized by constructions in the forms of objects not normally associated with buildings, such as characters, animals, people or household objects. There may be an element of caricature or a cartoonish element associated with the architecture.
- Lucy the Elephant, an architectural folly in Margate City, New Jersey
- The Longaberger Company's head office in Newark, Ohio which is in the form of a giant basket
In the 1930s, as automobile travel became popular in the United States, one way of attracting motorists to a diner, coffee shop, or roadside attraction was to build the building in an unusual shape, especially the shape of the things sold there. "Mimic" architecture became a trend, and many roadside coffee shops were built in the shape of giant coffee pots; hot dog stands were built in the shape of giant hot dogs; and fruit stands were built in the shape of oranges or other fruit.
- Tail o' the Pup, a hot dog-shaped hot dog stand in Los Angeles, California
- Brown Derby, a derby-shaped restaurant
- Bondurant's Pharmacy, a mortar-and-pestle pharmacy in Lexington, Kentucky
[edit] Water towers
Water towers, often a prominent feature in a small town, have often been shaped or decorated to look like everyday objects.
- Peachoid, a peach-shaped water tower in Gaffney, South Carolina. There are other peach-shaped water towers in Perry, Georgia and Clanton, Alabama
- Teapot water tower in Lindstrom, Minnesota (see Gallery)
- Corn cob water tower in Rochester, Minnesota (see Gallery)
- Catsup bottle water tower in Collinsville, Illinois (see Gallery)
- Paul Bunyan's Fishing Bobber water tower in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota (see Gallery)
- Coffee pot water tower in Stanton, Iowa
- Strawberry water tower in Poteet, Texas
- Teapot water tower in Kingsburg, California
[edit] Storage tanks
Several breweries and other businesses have designed holding tanks in the shape of giant cans of beer or other containers.
- "World's Largest Six-Pack" brewery holding tanks in La Crosse, Wisconsin
- "World's Largest Hormel Chili Can" in Beloit, Wisconsin
[edit] Giant sculptures
Another aspect of novelty architecture is sculptures of ordinary items scaled to enormous size.
- Various roadside parks and attractions in the U.S. feature giant sculptures of Paul Bunyan and dinosaurs.
- Louisville Slugger Museum, a building in Louisville, Kentucky that features a giant baseball bat
- Cleveland Airport, which includes giant "paper" aircraft in one terminal.
- Cowboy boots at North Star Mall, San Antonio, Texas
- Nut-shaped sculptures in at least two American cities, Brunswick, Missouri and Seguin, Texas are claimed to be "the world's largest pecan". [1] The Brunswick pecan is much larger and heavier, but the Seguin pecan is arguably more realistically rendered.
- A giant rotating candy bar, reading "Curtiss Baby Ruth" on one side and "Curtis Butterfinger" on the other, at the former Curtiss Candy Company factory in Franklin Park, Illinois, since acquired (and redesigned) by Nestlé.
- Gigantic baseball paraphernalia and other novelties, such as bats and gloves, team logos, "big apples", and even supersized Land O'Lakes milk bottles, at various baseball parks including Yankee Stadium, Comerica Park, AT&T Park, Anaheim Stadium, Kauffman Stadium, Shea Stadium, and the Metrodome.
[edit] Googie/populuxe architecture
Architecture popular in the 1950s-1960s in southern California and in Florida featured sharp corners, tilted roofs, starburst designs, and fanciful shapes. This came to be known as Googie or populuxe architecture.
[edit] Other
Long-established firms whose features are well-known could still qualify as novelty architecture. A couple of examples would be McDonald's original golden-arches design, originating in California as many of the novelty designs have; and the self-referencing design of the White Castle restaurants.
[edit] Deconstructivism
Some critics claim that much of today's contemporary architecture under the guise of Deconstructivism is actually Novelty architecture. Practioners include leading architects such as Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid.
[edit] Gallery
 Teapot water tower in Lindstrom, Minnesota, built in 1902 |
 Teapot Dome Service Station in Zillah, Washington, built in 1922 |
 The original Brown Derby in Los Angeles, California, built in 1926 |
 The Big Duck in Flanders, New York, built in 1931 |
 Corn cob water tower in Rochester, Minnesota, built in 1931 |
 Benewah Milk Bottle in Spokane, Washington, built in 1935 |
 World's Largest Catsup Bottle water tower in Collinsville, Illinois, built in 1949 |
 Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona, built in 1950 |
 Randy's Donuts in Los Angeles, California, built in 1952 |
 The Big Chicken in Marietta, Georgia, built in 1963 |
 Dinny, one of the Cabazon Dinosaurs in Cabazon, California, built in 1964 |
 Coney Island Hot Dog Stand in Bailey, Colorado, built in 1966 |
 The Big Pineapple, Nambour, Queensland, Australia, opened in 1971 |
 Paul Bunyan's Fishing Bobber water tower in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, date unknown |
[edit] Novelty statues
 Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota, erected in 1936 |
 Dinosaur Park sculpture of a Tyrannosaurus rex in Rapid City, South Dakota, opened in 1936 |
 Ten meter tall statue of Babe the Blue Ox at Trees of Mystery in Klamath, California, erected in 1949 |
 Golden Driller statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, erected in 1953 |
 Paul Bunyan statue in Portland, Oregon, erected in 1959 |
 Johnny Kaw statue in Manhattan, Kansas, erected in 1966 |
 Apatosaurus statue at North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina, erected in 1967 |
 The Wall Drug dinosaur statue in Wall, South Dakota, erected in the late 1960s |
 Paul Bunyan statue in Akeley, Minnesota |
 Harvey statue at Harvey Marine in Reedville, Aloha, Oregon |
 The Jolly Green Giant statue in Blue Earth, Minnesota, erected in 1979 |
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 World's Largest Dinosaur in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, erected in 2000 |
 World's Largest Muskellunge in Hayward, Wisconsin at the national freshwater fishing hall of fame. |
[edit] See also
- Australia's big things
- Folly and Category:Folly buildings
- Faux château, a house built to look like a castle
- Ice hotels, temporary hotels made of ice and snow, found in the coldest regions of the world
