Recent from talks
Big Duck
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Big Duck
The Big Duck is a 20-foot (6.1 m) tall ferrocement building in the shape of a duck: a canonical example of novelty architecture. Built in 1931 in Riverhead, New York, United States, it was moved several times to various locations on eastern Long Island, ending up in Flanders in 2007. Well-known for its distinctive appearance, this structure inspired the word duck as a common term in academic literature used to refer to buildings shaped like everyday objects or describe excessive ornamentation used in graphical presentations of data.
The Big Duck was built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer for use as a shop to sell ducks and duck eggs. This was during a period when duck farming was a growing industry on eastern Long Island and novelty architecture was on the rise due to the increasing popularity of automobiles. The building attracted both widespread academic criticism and public acclaim. It was added to both the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places in 1997 and is a principal building on the Big Duck Ranch, which was listed on both registers in 2008.
The Big Duck is a duck-shaped building in Flanders, New York, 15 by 30 feet (4.6 by 9.1 m) in plan and 20 feet (6.1 m) tall to the top of the head, enclosing 11 by 15 feet (3.4 by 4.6 m) of interior space. An example of novelty architecture (also known as mimetic architecture), it was designed in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer for use as a farm shop as well as for publicity. The use of mimetic architecture for roadside buildings was a growing trend in the United States by the late 1920s, with buildings having been constructed in the shape of a giant milk bottle, a tea kettle, a dog, and a tepee. The increasing popularity of the automobile meant that people were driving past roadside stores at high speed, necessitating large displays (described by landscape preservationist John Auwaerter as being of "bizarre scale") to attract the attention of passing motorists.
Duck farming on the east end of Long Island started as a means for farmers to earn additional income, possibly in the early 19th century. The regional industry expanded when the American Pekin breed was introduced to the area in 1873; by 1915 it included nearly a dozen farms with a combined annual production of one million ducks. In 1939, approximately 90 farms in Suffolk County were producing an aggregate of three million ducks annually; many of these were out of business by the 1980s due to changing environmental regulations and increased real-estate prices. By 2015, only the Crescent Duck Farm, which had opened in 1908 in Aquebogue, remained.
Maurer was inspired by a building he had seen during a 1931 trip to California. He had stopped at the Ben-Hur Coffee Shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles which was topped by a 15-foot tall stucco coffee pot. Reportedly, Maurer started planning the Big Duck while eating lunch that day, sketching the design on a napkin.
After returning home from his California trip, Maurer talked to local contractors about building the duck-shaped shop, but could not find any who wanted the job. He ended up hiring carpenter George Reeve, along with William and Samuel Collins, brothers who worked in New York theatres as set and prop designers. A live duck was used as a model, and a cooked chicken carcass was examined to ensure an anatomically accurate structure. After the wooden framework was complete, wire mesh was added and a masonry subcontractor, Smith & Yeager, was brought in to finish the job with four coats of Atlas Cement, a building method known as ferrocement. Construction costs totaled $3,800 (equivalent to $62,900 in 2024). The eyes, made from the tail lights of a Ford Model T, glowed red at night.
The Big Duck opened for business in June 1931, selling ducks and duck eggs. In August, Maurer applied for a trademark for "The Big Duck Ranch"; it was granted a year later, renewed in 1972, and expired in 1993. The building was featured on the Atlas Cement Company's 1931 promotional calendar and the November 1932 issue of Popular Mechanics covered it briefly, noting that it contained a salesroom and an office and sat on a foundation of concrete blocks. A miniature version was installed at the 1939 World's Fair by the Drake Baking Company, with the condition that it be destroyed once the fair was over.
The building was originally constructed in 1931 on West Main Street (New York State Route 25) in the Upper Mills section of Riverhead. In 1937, Maurer had the building lifted from its foundation and relocated to his new duck ranch in Flanders, four miles (6.4 km) away.
Hub AI
Big Duck AI simulator
(@Big Duck_simulator)
Big Duck
The Big Duck is a 20-foot (6.1 m) tall ferrocement building in the shape of a duck: a canonical example of novelty architecture. Built in 1931 in Riverhead, New York, United States, it was moved several times to various locations on eastern Long Island, ending up in Flanders in 2007. Well-known for its distinctive appearance, this structure inspired the word duck as a common term in academic literature used to refer to buildings shaped like everyday objects or describe excessive ornamentation used in graphical presentations of data.
The Big Duck was built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer for use as a shop to sell ducks and duck eggs. This was during a period when duck farming was a growing industry on eastern Long Island and novelty architecture was on the rise due to the increasing popularity of automobiles. The building attracted both widespread academic criticism and public acclaim. It was added to both the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places in 1997 and is a principal building on the Big Duck Ranch, which was listed on both registers in 2008.
The Big Duck is a duck-shaped building in Flanders, New York, 15 by 30 feet (4.6 by 9.1 m) in plan and 20 feet (6.1 m) tall to the top of the head, enclosing 11 by 15 feet (3.4 by 4.6 m) of interior space. An example of novelty architecture (also known as mimetic architecture), it was designed in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer for use as a farm shop as well as for publicity. The use of mimetic architecture for roadside buildings was a growing trend in the United States by the late 1920s, with buildings having been constructed in the shape of a giant milk bottle, a tea kettle, a dog, and a tepee. The increasing popularity of the automobile meant that people were driving past roadside stores at high speed, necessitating large displays (described by landscape preservationist John Auwaerter as being of "bizarre scale") to attract the attention of passing motorists.
Duck farming on the east end of Long Island started as a means for farmers to earn additional income, possibly in the early 19th century. The regional industry expanded when the American Pekin breed was introduced to the area in 1873; by 1915 it included nearly a dozen farms with a combined annual production of one million ducks. In 1939, approximately 90 farms in Suffolk County were producing an aggregate of three million ducks annually; many of these were out of business by the 1980s due to changing environmental regulations and increased real-estate prices. By 2015, only the Crescent Duck Farm, which had opened in 1908 in Aquebogue, remained.
Maurer was inspired by a building he had seen during a 1931 trip to California. He had stopped at the Ben-Hur Coffee Shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles which was topped by a 15-foot tall stucco coffee pot. Reportedly, Maurer started planning the Big Duck while eating lunch that day, sketching the design on a napkin.
After returning home from his California trip, Maurer talked to local contractors about building the duck-shaped shop, but could not find any who wanted the job. He ended up hiring carpenter George Reeve, along with William and Samuel Collins, brothers who worked in New York theatres as set and prop designers. A live duck was used as a model, and a cooked chicken carcass was examined to ensure an anatomically accurate structure. After the wooden framework was complete, wire mesh was added and a masonry subcontractor, Smith & Yeager, was brought in to finish the job with four coats of Atlas Cement, a building method known as ferrocement. Construction costs totaled $3,800 (equivalent to $62,900 in 2024). The eyes, made from the tail lights of a Ford Model T, glowed red at night.
The Big Duck opened for business in June 1931, selling ducks and duck eggs. In August, Maurer applied for a trademark for "The Big Duck Ranch"; it was granted a year later, renewed in 1972, and expired in 1993. The building was featured on the Atlas Cement Company's 1931 promotional calendar and the November 1932 issue of Popular Mechanics covered it briefly, noting that it contained a salesroom and an office and sat on a foundation of concrete blocks. A miniature version was installed at the 1939 World's Fair by the Drake Baking Company, with the condition that it be destroyed once the fair was over.
The building was originally constructed in 1931 on West Main Street (New York State Route 25) in the Upper Mills section of Riverhead. In 1937, Maurer had the building lifted from its foundation and relocated to his new duck ranch in Flanders, four miles (6.4 km) away.
Recent media