Imagine you’re driving along a highway, and all of a sudden, looming large in the
distance, you see a giant teapot.
But getting closer you realise it's not a teapot at all, but a building shaped like
a teapot!
This is novelty architecture - where buildings are designed to look like something else,
often mimicking everyday objects or animals.
Throughout the 20th Century, the US had lots of examples of these kinds of mimetic buildings.
So, what are my favourite pieces of novelty architecture in the US?
Let’s find out.
Before we get started - a couple of caveats.
Firstly, all of the photos you’re about to see were taken by one man, John Margolies,
who, over the course of several decades, documented roadside architecture throughout the US.
Nowadays the photos are housed by the Library of Congress and are in the public domain.
The album containing these photos is a collection of over 11000 images.
I don’t know if all of these places still exist, and I’ve only done scant research
on a few of them, but I scoured every single one of those 11700 images, to bring you my
top 10 pieces of novelty architecture - let’s go.
Gas stations seem to be a hotspot for novelty buildings, which probably has everything to
do with being eye-catching enough to pull motorists off the road and into their business.
Number 10 on this list is the Hat n Boots gas station in Washington.
I think the hat and boots are now actually in a park - but this gas station had a bright
red hat, and a pair of giant boots.
A recurring theme for my love of novelty architecture is the union of form and function - so this
is the perfect place to start.
In this case, look how the wide-brimmed hat acts as covering for the area around the station
- not even soaking north-west rain is gonna make you wet underneath that visor.
And what’s inside the boot?
Storage?
A bathroom?
If you’ve been here - please let me know.
I mentioned teapots in the beginning, so I better deliver.
There are a couple of examples of giant teapots and coffee pots, but my favourite of them
is Bob’s Java Jive - which I can only assume is a coffee business.
This pot honestly looks big enough for an entire family to live in - and there’s something
whimsical about the thought of living in a giant teapot - is that in a fairy tale or
something?
Or am I thinking of the old woman that lives in - a shoe.
That’s right number 8 is a shoe - but it’s not this one!
This is the Haines shoe-house in Pennsylvania which was apparently built as a giant advertisement.
It is a real house though, and has a living area, kitchen, bedrooms, and presumably a
bathroom?
But what’s better than a shoe built to advertise shoes?
A shoe built to repair them.
I’m pretty sure this shoe repair shop is still around in Bakersfield, California, if
you’re a local I’m sure you’ll let me know.
Do not ask me why but number 7 is Joe’s International Rock and Gem Shop.
This is the only photo in the collection of this shop in Utah, and, for some reason it
just fascinates me.
Can you go inside the giant rock?
Is that a drink machine?
Is there anything else inside there?
I want to see the gems, Joe!
I’m pretty sure this one doesn’t exist anymore, but if anyone visited while it did
- I want to hear from you in the comments.
We have finally got to our first animal on the list - although it's not the most impressive
one.
This is apparently a car wash - and in-keeping with that aquatic theme, it’s shaped like
a whale.
This whale-wash is in Oklahoma, and given that this is the only photo of it in the collection,
it left me with some questions.
If you drive in the mouth, do you come out the same hole you went in, or do you drive
out the rear hole?
And speaking of driving into holes, California has blessed us with this brown one.
Jokes aside, this is actually a fantastic idea for a doughnut drive-through.
Does it even matter if your doughnuts are good or not?
If your drive-through is flanked by 2 massive doughnuts, you’ve got my business already.
At number 4 we are at the pointy end of the list, so the competition is heating up.
And Dog Bark Park rises to the challenge.
This is a giant beagle that seems to actually have a habitable living space inside.
There’s also a smaller dog that I can only hope will be converted to a dog-house version
of the same thing, but who knows.
I actually found this place on AirBnB - you can stay there if you want, it’s in Idaho
- look it up after the video.
For me, this is what novelty architecture is all about.
It’s an apartment, but it’s inside a giant dog.
Why is it inside a giant dog?
Doesn’t matter.
Number 3 are dinosaurs.
These two specimens are some of the most impressive buildings on the list.
Look at the size of that Brontosaurus!
Many pieces of novelty architecture are created with a steel frame with concrete moulded over
the top, and this might just be the most impressive sculpted building that I’ve seen.
Now, I did a brief bit of research on these guys and found a strange coincidence.
Despite being at opposite ends of the country - both dinosaurs have been used by their owners
to spread a religious message.
One website I found about this little guy said that inside the dinosaur is a picture
of Jesus where the heart would be, and this chunky one apparently has a gift shop inside
that espouses a creationist timeline.
Interesting.
Number 2 on the list is the United Equipment building in Turlock, California.
The bulldozer-shaped building serves as an office for the company that owns it.
Looking at this one just makes me happy.
The ease in which a rectangular building can be transformed into a bulldozer.
A heavy machinery company with an office this shape.
How yellow it is!
It’s all fantastic, and buildings like this make me honestly question why this isn’t
more of a trend.
Is it tacky?
Maybe.
Does it spark joy?
Definitely.
And number one, my absolute favourite building on the list - is in the shape of an aeroplane.
But before I show you, let me warn you, this is not the most impressive building, in fact
- there are more impressive buildings that integrate more impressive aircraft into their
design.
But the simple, humble, beautiful melding of form and function in the design of this
little gas station in Tennessee steals my heart.
Look how the wing provides the cover for where the gas pumps would be.
You go inside the fuselage to enter this little service centre.
For me it makes sense for this building to be the shape that it is, and with some minor
tweaks, like the addition of a tail-piece and the rounding of the nose, it becomes an
aeroplane.
This is novelty architecture at its simplest and best.
These kinds of vernacular, cobbled-together, yet still entirely functional features make
this an easy number one spot for me.
And this little station has actually been restored recently and looks fantastic, but
that has no bearing on my decision to make it my favourite pick, so I’ll let you look
up photos of what it looks like now if you’re interested.
So there’s my top 10, but you might have a different opinion!
And that’s great!
Let me know which of these 10 is your favourite, and especially if you’ve visited any of
them.
All the links are in the description, including a link to the full album of over 11000 images.
Most of these photos aren’t of novelty architecture at all, but are of other roadside buildings
that Margolies found fascinating.
There’s a whole slew of images dedicated to minigolf, and a surprising number of images
of pickled fish.
And lastly, you might have noticed that this list was specifically about novelty architecture
- buildings that you can enter, that have function.
Novelty statues on the other hand, statues of oversized everyday items didn’t feature
on this list, and they might just get their own video sometime later.
I really hope you enjoyed watching, and that you have a new-found appreciation of mimetic
buildings and novelty architecture.
I’ll see you next time.