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The Big Duck
A building which looks like a large white duck with an orange beak. The duck appears to be sitting on the ground. There is a doorway in the front, below the head.
The Big Duck was constructed in the 1930s to help its owner's duck farming business.
A map showing the eastern half of Long Island. The location of Riverhead, at the base of the north fork, is marked.
A map showing the eastern half of Long Island. The location of Riverhead, at the base of the north fork, is marked.
Map
Interactive map showing the Big Duck’s location
LocationFlanders, New York
Coordinates40°54′25.9″N 72°37′20.6″W / 40.907194°N 72.622389°W / 40.907194; -72.622389
Built1931
Architectural styleNovelty architecture
Websitebigduck.org
NRHP reference No.97000164
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 28, 1997[1]
Designated NYSRHPJanuary 17, 1997

The Big Duck is a ferrocement style building in the shape of a duck, located in Flanders within the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States.

The building was originally constructed in the adjacent town, Riverhead, and has been moved several times to various locations on eastern Long Island. The building is well-known for its distinctive appearance. This structure inspired the word "duck" to be a relatively common phrase in academic literature used to refer to buildings shaped like everyday objects or describe excessive ornamentation used in graphical presentations of data.

It was originally built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer and used as a shop to sell ducks, dairy, and duck eggs. It was added to both the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places in 1997. It is a principal building on the Big Duck Ranch, listed on the NRHP and NYSRHP in 2008.

History

[edit]

The Big Duck is a duck-shaped building in Flanders, New York, 18 by 30 feet (5.5 by 9.1 m) 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.[2] The building was designed in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer; shaped like a Pekin duck, it was intended as a farm shop as well as for publicity.[3][4] Reportedly, Maurer was inspired by a building in the shape of a giant coffee pot (Swedish Coffee Pot Tower in Kingsburg, California) which he had seen during a trip to California.[2]

Maurer hired local labor for the construction job; carpenter George Reeve, along with William and Samuel Collins, brothers who have been described as "eccentric stage show set designers".[5][6] A live duck was used as a model, and a cooked chicken carcass was consulted to ensure an anatomically accurate structure. After the wooden framework was complete, wire mesh was added and covered with cement,[5] a building method known as ferrocement.[7]

The duck's eyes were originally made from Ford Model T taillights, which glowed red at night.[2] These were later removed and stored at the Suffolk County historical archives.[4] As of 2013, the original lights had been reinstalled.[8]

The Big Duck opened for business in June 1931[6] and was featured on the Atlas Cement Company's promotional calendar that year.[6] The November 1932 issue of Popular Mechanics covered the building briefly, noting that it contained a salesroom and an office and sat on a foundation of concrete blocks.[9] A miniature version was installed at the 1939 World's Fair by the Drake Baking Company.[6] In 1939, there were about 90 duck farms in Suffolk County, with many concentrated in the area around Riverhead and Flanders.[10] By 2019, only a single farm was left; the Crescent Duck Farm which had opened in 1908 in Aquebogue.[11]

Relocations

[edit]
A pictorial drawing of the Big Duck in what appears to be a rural location; trees and telegraph poles are visible in the background.
The Big Duck in its original Upper Mills location

The building was originally constructed in 1931 on West Main Street (New York State Route 25) in the Upper Mills section of Riverhead.[12] In 1937, Maurer had the building lifted from its foundation and relocated from its original Riverhead location to his new duck ranch in Flanders, four miles (6.4 km) away.[10]

The Big Duck closed as a store in 1984. Four years later, the Suffolk County Department of Parks and Recreation acquired the building and moved it to Sears-Bellows Pond County Park, between Flanders and Hampton Bays and repurposed it as a gift shop operated by the Friends for Long Island Heritage.[10]

In 2004, a proposal was made to move the duck to Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, with the move estimated to cost at least $60,000. It was claimed that this would both increase the number of visitors and help to publicize the airport's new terminal building.[13] The move of the structure to the airport never happened and the building was returned to its original Flanders location on October 6, 2007.[4] Suffolk County continues to own it, maintains its interior, and pays for staffing while the Town of Southampton maintains the exterior. The original 27-acre (11 ha) duck farm was purchased by the town in 2006.[14]

Legacy

[edit]
Roadside sign reading "The Big Duck" and below that, "Historic Site", with an arrow pointing to the right.
Historic site marker on NY 24 before the Duck

Buildings such as this are classified as novelty architecture or memetic architecture. However, in architecture the term "duck" is used more specifically to describe buildings that are in the shape of an everyday object to which they relate. According to the Long Island newspaper Newsday, "The Big Duck has influenced the world of architecture; any building that is shaped like its product is called a 'duck'."[15]

Edward Tufte's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information uses the term "duck", explicitly named after this building, to describe irrelevant decorative elements in information design:[16]

When a graphic is taken over by decorative forms or computer debris, when the data measures and structures become Design Elements, when the overall design purveys Graphical Style rather than quantitative information, then the graphic may be called a duck in honor of the duck-form store, "Big Duck." For this building the whole structure is itself decoration, just as in the duck data graphic.

The Big Duck was the target of widespread criticism during the 1960s and early 1970s, but the building did have its defenders.[10] Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown said that "Sometimes the building is the sign" and noted that this building – which they referred to as "The Long Island Duckling" – was a "sculptural symbol and architectural shelter".[17]: 13  They used the term "duck" to refer to "a special building that is a symbol", as differentiated from a "conventional shelter that applies symbols", which they called a "decorated shed".[17]: 87–89 

On November 13, 2006, radio station WBLI rated the Flanders Duck first amongst the seven wonders of Long Island.[18] In 1997, The Big Duck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places,[19] joined by the Big Duck Ranch in 2008.[20]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Big Duck

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Big Duck is a 20-foot-tall, 30-foot-long structure shaped like a duck, located in , New York, on . Built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer as a novelty roadside shop to sell live ducks, eggs, and feed, it exemplifies early "duck" architecture, where buildings mimic the products they advertise. The structure weighs approximately 10 tons and features Model T Ford taillights as glowing red eyes. Construction began with a wooden frame modeled after a live duck, reinforced by wire mesh and covered in cement, under the design of Broadway set designers William and Samuel Collins, with building by local craftsmen George Reeve, John Smith, and Merlin Yeager. Initially erected on West Main Street in Riverhead, the Big Duck opened to the public in July 1931 and quickly gained fame, appearing in Popular Mechanics magazine. Maurer patented elements of its design, and it operated successfully until economic pressures from the Great Depression and changing farming practices led to its first relocation in 1936 to Route 24 in . Over the decades, the landmark faced threats of demolition and was moved twice more: to Sears Bellows County Park in Hampton Bays in 1988 for preservation, before returning to its Flanders site at Big Duck Ranch in 2007 following community advocacy by the nonprofit Friends of the Big Duck. Designated a Town of Southampton landmark in 1987 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, it now functions as a year-round gift shop selling duck-themed souvenirs, a small museum exhibiting artifacts from its history, and a Suffolk County tourist information center. Open daily with hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Saturdays until 3 p.m.), it hosts events like an annual holiday lighting ceremony on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving, drawing visitors for its quirky appeal. The Big Duck's cultural impact extends beyond , influencing architectural theory through its citation in and Denise Scott Brown's 1972 book as a prototype for programmatic that prioritizes symbolism over traditional form, with the closure of the last remaining duck farm on in 2025 underscoring its role in preserving duck farming heritage. As one of the earliest and most intact examples of such roadside , it symbolizes the ingenuity of early 20th-century American and continues to attract tourists, photographers, and enthusiasts from around the world.

Design and Construction

Architectural Features

The Big Duck is a ferrocement structure designed in the form of a Pekin duck, standing 20 feet high, measuring 30 feet from to tail, and 15 feet from wing to wing. Its exterior features an orange , illuminated eyes constructed from Model T Ford tail lights serving as windows, and an upturned tail that forms the rear wall of the building. The main entrance is positioned in the breast area beneath the beak, with a secondary at the rear, allowing visitors to enter the duck-shaped form directly. Constructed in , this design exemplifies by integrating the building's silhouette as its own advertisement, drawing attention from passing motorists along rural roads. The building employs a wooden frame reinforced with galvanized wire , coated in four layers of white cement to create a smooth, durable shell approximately 10 tons in weight. This technique provides structural integrity while allowing for the organic, sculptural curves of the duck's body, wings, and head. The interior measures about 11 by 15 feet, finished with white-painted stove-pipe tin for a clean, reflective surface. Inside, the ground floor served as a room for ducks and eggs, equipped with a counter and refrigerator to facilitate retail operations. The layout directly ties the building's form to its function, embodying the programmatic principle of from the era, where the structure itself promotes the products sold within. This approach prioritizes visual appeal and immediate recognition over conventional architectural norms, making the Big Duck a quintessential example of "" design in vernacular roadside aesthetics.

Building Process

The Big Duck was conceived by duck farmer Martin Maurer and his wife Jeule in 1931, inspired by a giant coffee pot-shaped roadside shop they encountered while vacationing in . Maurer envisioned a similar novelty structure to promote his Pekin duck business, leveraging the duck-shaped form as an eye-catching sales tool to attract passing motorists. To realize the project amid the economic constraints of the , Maurer hired local carpenter George Reeve to construct the wooden frame, modeled after a live duck. Reeve collaborated with brothers William and Samuel Collins, unemployed Broadway set designers whose expertise in theatrical structures provided cost-effective labor for the unconventional build. The work, including the cement application, was handled by contractors Smith and Yeager. Construction commenced in early 1931 and spanned several months, utilizing locally sourced materials such as for the frame, galvanized wire for , and layers of white to form the exterior shell—a technique akin to early methods. The process began with hand-sawing and assembling the wooden skeleton without nails, followed by wrapping it in wire and applying four coats of for durability and a smooth finish. The structure officially opened in June 1931 on West Main Street in , serving immediately as a retail outlet for ducks and eggs. It garnered early national attention when featured in the November 1932 issue of magazine, which highlighted it as an innovative and example of creative cement work that enhanced the owner's sales.

History

Origins and Early Operations

The Big Duck was built in 1931 by Martin Maurer, a duck farmer in , specifically as a retail shop to sell Pekin ducks, eggs, and other farm products from his nearby duck operation along the busy West Main Street route. Maurer, who leased the initial farm site, envisioned the structure as a novel to draw in motorists during the , capitalizing on the era's burgeoning Long Island duck farming industry. Upon opening, the Big Duck quickly became a hit in the 1930s, attracting tourists and locals alike with its whimsical design and boosting sales at Maurer's farm through heightened visibility and curiosity. Local reports from the time highlighted how the building's illuminated eyes and distinctive form garnered significant attention from passersby, turning it into an early tourist draw that enhanced the farm's commercial viability. The structure operated continuously as the farm's primary storefront through , with Maurer living in close proximity to manage daily sales of live and processed ducks. In , amid expanding operations, Maurer purchased a larger in , New York, and relocated the intact building approximately four miles southeast to integrate it seamlessly with the new site's duck farming activities, preserving its role without any structural alterations. Post-World War II, the Big Duck adapted to the duck industry's postwar surge, which saw Long Island production peak in the late , continuing as a key retail hub for duck products into the to meet rising demand. Maurer maintained oversight of the shop until selling the ranch in , after which it persisted in supporting farm retail needs amid evolving market conditions.

Relocations and Preservation Efforts

The Big Duck's operations ceased in the fall of 1984 following the sale of its associated duck ranch, amid the broader decline of Long Island's duck farming industry, which had seen the number of active farms drop significantly from its mid-20th-century peak due to environmental regulations, rising costs, and suburban development pressures. The structure then faced imminent in 1987 when the underlying property was slated for commercial development, prompting a "Save the Duck" campaign led by local residents, preservation advocates, and Suffolk County officials to intervene and prevent its loss. In response to these efforts, the building's owners, and Pouran Eshghi, donated the Big Duck to Suffolk County in December 1987, leading to its relocation the following year to the entrance of Sears Bellows County Park in Hampton Bays, approximately four miles east along Route 24. The move involved careful disassembly of the structure and transport by truck to ensure its temporary preservation as a county asset, where it served as a and tourist information while plans for a permanent site were developed. Formal recognition of the Big Duck's historical value came in 1997, when it was added to the New York State Register of Historic Places on January 17 and the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, highlighting its significance as an early example of roadside architecture known as "duckism" or programmatic design. These listings, which applied to the structure at its then-location in Hampton Bays, provided legal protections against alteration or demolition and supported ongoing restoration work. By the mid-2000s, with the original Flanders site remaining undeveloped, Suffolk County funded and executed the Big Duck's return to a position near its 1936 relocation spot on Route 24 in Flanders, where the structure had operated as a duck sales outlet for decades. The repositioning occurred on October 6, 2007, after a nighttime transport managed by professional house movers, followed by restoration to make it accessible to the public as an interpretive site and gift shop. The Big Duck Ranch, including the structure in its restored location, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Today, the Suffolk County Parks Department oversees its maintenance, including periodic repairs to the concrete shell and interior exhibits, ensuring the landmark's endurance as a symbol of Long Island's agricultural heritage.

Cultural and Historical Significance

Architectural Influence

The concept of "duck" architecture was introduced by , , and Steven Izenour in their 1972 book : The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form, with the Big Duck serving as the archetypal example of a structure where the building itself embodies symbolism rather than applying it decoratively. In the text, they describe the edifice—originally called the Long Island Duckling—as "a sculptural symbol and architectural shelter," contrasting it with the "decorated shed," a conventional building augmented by external , to argue that form can prioritize communicative symbolism over pure functional efficiency. This portrayal positioned the Big Duck as a of modernist architectural purity, which emphasized unadorned form following function; Venturi and collaborators instead championed it as a innovation that integrated symbolism into the structure, thereby influencing late 20th-century debates on commercial and everyday architecture. Their defense elevated such symbolic expressions, prompting architects and theorists to reevaluate populist and roadside designs as meaningful contributions to the . The Big Duck's framework inspired a lineage of programmatic buildings, including the Big Chicken in —a 56-foot-tall steel-clad structure erected in 1963 to promote —and mid-20th-century donut shops molded into oversized donuts, which served as self-advertising landmarks along U.S. highways. These designs validated , transforming from dismissed into recognized elements of legitimate architectural expression. Edward Tufte further extended the Big Duck's reach in The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (1983), photographing the building to exemplify how form can directly convey purpose and meaning, applying the "duck" analogy to principles that favor clarity and symbolic efficiency over superfluous ornamentation.

Recognition and Current Status

The Big Duck has received notable recognition for its unique place in American roadside . In 2006, local radio station WBLI ranked it first among Long Island's Seven Wonders, ahead of other landmarks like the Commack Motor Inn. It is also celebrated in media and architectural circles as an iconic novelty structure, appearing in publications such as , which highlights its 20-foot-tall form as a prime example of buildings shaped like animals. Additionally, the structure was added to the in 1997, affirming its historical value. Since its relocation back to its original site in 2007, the Big Duck has been managed by the Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation, which oversees its operation as a public . Following a restoration that included repairs, repainting, and structural reinforcements during the move, the building has undergone no major changes and remains open year-round to visitors, typically from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through and , with shorter hours. Inside, it functions as a featuring exhibits on its history, duck memorabilia, and information on local . The affiliated nonprofit Friends of the Big Duck supports preservation efforts and maintains a (bigduck.org) with details on events and historical context, though virtual tours are not currently offered. As a , the Big Duck draws visitors interested in its quirky design and heritage, serving as a gateway to with a selling souvenirs. Annual events include the Holiday Lighting ceremony, held the first after , which features festive decorations and draws crowds for photos and celebrations. Educational programs, such as the Long Island Duck Farming Exhibit organized by Friends of the Big Duck, focus on roadside architecture and the region's agricultural past, offering insights into the duck industry's heyday. Today, it symbolizes 's fading farming traditions and successful preservation initiatives, continuing to educate and entertain without commercial sales of poultry products.

References

  1. https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/travel/road-trips/meet-long-islands-roadside-icon-the-big-duck/
  2. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2173
  3. https://aaqeastend.com/contents/the-big-duck-ranch-flanders-1931/
  4. https://theglorifiedtomato.com/2022/07/14/the-big-duck/
  5. https://bigduck.org/
  6. https://pb.state.ny.us/assets/1/6/Big_Duck_library_binder.pdf
  7. https://02f0a56ef46d93f03c90-22ac5f107621879d5667e0d7ed595bdb.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/sites/70468/uploads/77614/BigDuckRanch_NominationFormMay_2008_copy20231216-1329431-wqq0s4.pdf
  8. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/0e9d3367-2649-46be-875c-54151955edee
  9. https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Historic-Sites/The-Big-Duck
  10. https://steinsworth.com/the-big-duck-on-long-island-in-flanders-new-york/
  11. https://www.historic-structures.com/ny/southampton/big_duck.php
  12. https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Historic-Sites/The-Big-Duck/World-Famous-Duck-Architecture
  13. https://www.untappedcities.com/a-visit-to-the-big-duck-long-islands-famous-example-of-roadside-architecture/
  14. https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Historic-Sites/The-Big-Duck/Big-Duck-History
  15. https://www.usmodernist.org/SITES/SITES-7.pdf
  16. https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Portals/0/formsdocs/planning/EnvPlanning/LIDuckHistory/AppA.pdf
  17. https://www.27east.com/arts/thats-a-big-duck-the-story-of-long-islands-duck-farming-industry-and-the-iconic-structure-it-inspired-1561811/
  18. https://www.easthamptonstar.com/villages/202191/big-duck-landmark-and-legend-90
  19. https://riverheadlocal.com/2020/11/23/memorializing-the-big-ducks-original-roost-in-riverhead/
  20. https://riverheadlocal.com/2021/08/02/a-big-birthday-for-the-big-duck/
  21. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-08-11-fi-2568-story.html
  22. https://outeast.com/stories/big-duck-flanders-architecture-duck-farming/
  23. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-1997-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf
  24. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/14colli.html
  25. https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/langecomd3504fa2019/files/2018/11/Venturi_LasVegas.pdf
  26. https://99percentinvisible.org/article/lessons-sin-city-architecture-ducks-versus-decorated-sheds/
  27. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-quirky-endearing-tradition-duck-architecture
  28. https://rolandopujol.substack.com/p/roadside-relic-the-big-chicken-in
  29. https://www.archdaily.com/875022/9-weird-and-wonderful-architectural-ducks
  30. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/big-duck
  31. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/buildings-shaped-like-animals
  32. https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Historic-Sites/The-Big-Duck
  33. https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/big-duck-flanders-novelty-architecture/
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