It’s no secret that we’re fascinated by all things automotive here at CC; be it cars, the people around them, or the spaces they inhabit. In that tradition, we’ll feature a nice gallery of roadside architecture for today. A theme that’s no stranger to these pages, as these novelty buildings have often appeared in our posts; either on their own or playing supporting roles in many of our posts.
As known, roadside architecture is a phenomenon mostly born in the 20th Century. While one can find earlier versions (even the Sphynx sort of fits the idea), the exponential growth of car travel established the trend for good, particularly in the US. Mostly created for commercial purposes at first, it’s essentially its own thing and is fed by the never-ending human need for the new and surprising. And that’s what these structures certainly offered; surprise and wonder to the unsuspecting.
Today’s images come from the Library of Congress and were taken by architecture critic and photographer John Margolies. As you’ll see, they contain novelty buildings and signs of all sorts, offering whimsical and quite unusual sights. Talking about which, the lede image is the Coney Island Dairyland, in Aspen Park, Colorado.
Harold’s Auto Center, Springfield, Florida, 1979.
The Donut Hole, La Puente, California, 1991.
Peach Water Tower, Gaffney, South Carolina, 1988.
Hats n’ Boots gas station, route 99, Seattle, Washington, 1980.
The Whale Car Wash, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1979.
Orange Julep, Route 9, Plattsburgh, New York, 1978.
Grisham’s Milk Bottle, Corpus Christi, Texas, 1988.
Mother Goose Market, Hazard, Kentucky, 1979.
Bob’s Jave Jive, Tacoma, Washington, 1979.
Jaycees Building “World’s Largest Bureau”, High Point, North Carolina, 1982.
Hoot Owl Cafe, Los Angeles, California, 1977.
Shell Gas Station, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1982.
Frontage Road, I-5, Albany, Oregon, 1987.
Erie Foreign Car Parts, Whitesboro, New York, 1987.
Leaning Tower of Pizza, Quincy, Massachusetts, 1984.
I remember driving with my Grandmother, to send the Summer with her, the orange stand all up and down Hwy 99. in California, long before the interstates. We never stop at one.
I liked the “Shell” gas station!
It’s been restored to its original colors and looks really nice.
I’m very familiar with the spray foam place as it’s visible from I5 on the way to Portland. It has been deteriorating for years, and did I notice it was gone the last time I looked?
Nice, Reminds me of Tirau NZ but all the sculpted buildings are done with galvanised roofing iron there.
The Leaning Tower of Pizza near the end when this picture was taken. I think it was torn down around 1990. Just to it’s left, not in the picture is the original Dunkin Donuts. Across the street was Morey Pearl’s Restauarant, famous for its advertised “157 Varieties of Pizza”. The “chicken liver and clam” still gives me pause. This was Route 3A, which was the main road from Boston to Cape Cod before the highways were built.
Great pictures. I’ve seen quite a few of these in person.
The Gaffney water tower – AKA the Giant Butt (so-named for obvious reasons) — is visible from I85.
The Mother Goose house in KY still stands and I believe is now a bed and breakfast. Definitely worth seeing the next time you pass through Hazard, KY…although the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim as Hazard isn’t exactly an easy destination to pass through. Most places in Eastern KY aren’t that easy to find yourself in.
The World’s Largest Bureau – in my city of birth, High Point, NC – is the source of (my) family legend as my mom often told the story of mistaking it for a building while driving around town and being laughed at when she mentioned that to some local. If you do go see it, you also need to see the “World’s Largest Chair” in neighboring Thomasville. We had the World’s Largest Bureau first. I’m just saying.
The Shell station in Winston-Salem (also very close to High Point and those posers in Thomasville) is the last standing of an original 8 built in Winston-Salem. The one remaining (which may or may not be the one in this picture) has been restored and looks quite sharp in Shell yellow.
Finally, the Leaning Tower of Pizza in Quincy is indeed gone now, but there’s one just like it in Saugus, MA on Rt 1. Still standing proud and lopsided.
Not far from the orange T-Rex and the Cactus and Cows at the Hilltop Steak House (they’re for the most part gone now).
High Point now has the world’s biggest highboy, at the world’s biggest furniture store, Furnitureland South.
And another of the hidden costs of the chainification of the country, seemingly everything is just another cookie cutter of the corporate. While I don’t recall any of the sites pictured, I do recall many from some of my travels in the 70s and 80s. But alas film was expensive, if I even had a camera, and I wasn’t going to waste any of my very limited dollars on kitschy stuff like the above. But now that it’s pretty much gone, I love to see what little is left.
Wig Wam motels, all sorts of stuff on the old US 66, especially in the desert across NM, AZ and Calif.
Well, on your way to Hazard 😉 you can still spend the night at a Wig Wam Motel in Cave City, KY.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g39265-d258948-Reviews-Historic_Wigwam_Village_No_2-Cave_City_Kentucky.html
I had a friend/employee from Cave City when I lived in KY…and she told many a story about the Wigwam Motel.
There are a couple of these in my part of the world. The first that comes to mind is the Orange Julep in Montreal. I haven’t been to it in about 40 years, but it still looks good, so business must be ok.
There is also The Big Apple by Highway 401 in Colborne Ontario, about half way between Toronto and Kingston. It specializes in apple pies and other baked goods that use apples. Although I have driven by many times, I have never stopped. Maybe this post has given me the incentive to stop on my next trip.
The Montreal orange was always a stop on our annual drives there in the ’70s and ’80s, though didn’t recall what it was called. Glad to know it’s still there.
When I got my driver’s license the Hat and Boots gas station was still going and I bought gas there once or twice. They were such a local icon that they were featured in the opening sequence for local late night comedy show Almost Live!
For a number of reasons they sat for many years after the gas station closed and they deteriorated significantly. However there was a light at the end of the tunnel and they were moved to a park just down the street and have been restored.
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2235
https://seattle.gov/parks/allparks/oxbow-park
I’ve driven by Bob’s Java Jive many times over the years, It has been a bar/night club for many years and was actually used in movies.
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2977
Great prices even for 1978 at the Orange Julep. Burgers for under a buck.
Nice job on the Leaning Tower, even if they made every floor symmetrical across the pillars. The real one is not as so, form what I have read.
The Lea.ning Tower restaurants were originally opened by the Prince pasta company in the 1950’s. The one in Saugus still stands but only the top half of the tower is visible as the restaurant has expanded around it.
I remember when that T-Rex was still painted gray.
World’s Largest Bureau looks quite like an Ikea Hemnes dresser, or at least one that has been sliced in half. I have one of these in my house, though in dark brown.
I don’t know about others but that peach tower wasn’t the first thing that popped into my mind especially if you turn it around.
The World’s Largest Ball of Twine is located in Cawker City, KS. It’s pretty cool. You can smell it about a block away, simply because of rain. It’s not a bad smell, just wet twine. Worth seeing, simply because of its size.
I’m surprised that “The Flagship” in Union, NJ, doesn’t appear in this collection. The building still stands, although several of the architectural details that lent it that unique appearance have been removed or modified. It no longer strikes one as ‘ship-like’.
The Donut Hole was a fixture on Elliott Av across from the post office. We would offer to sweep the drive thru for a free donut.
They gave us a few donuts holes and told us to get lost. Ah, memories…
Paul: it is still there, but it is deteriorating. I remember before that it was a shell gas station. We live very near there.
It is Harold’s Auto Center, Spring Hill, Florida, 1979.
And not Springfield, FL. I grew up their and that place is a functioning garage still.
Springhill, Florida, I remember that dinosaur when I was a kid. 63 now
There was once a gas station in the Los Angeles area which had a B-17 serving as a shelter for the pumps.
About a year ago there was a new South Park episode featuring the Coney Island hot dog stand (which actually stands just over the pass from the real South Park). Two of the guys joined forces to renovate the place and turn it into a mini-amusement park. Hilarity ensued, or at some least wry witticisms, ensued. The plot was inspired by their real-life to renovate and revive another Colorado landmark, Casa Bonita restaurant.
I drive by that Coney Island a couple times a year. Stopped one time 10 or so years ago and after waiting over 1/2 an hour to get to the door to find the line inside as long as the line outside, we left.
I remember so many places like this in the 50’s, sadly Pops hated kitsch so I never once got to stop and look closely .
There was a “Bomber Gas Station” on the way to Cape Cod too, I wonder how much work and effort went into those .
-Nate
peach water tower. WOW, nothing like a big ole ass bending over in the sky!