Every town needs its quirks, and mine does not disappoint. There are 2 buildings in particular that defy typical, boring architecture.
Here we have literalism in advertising and the ultimate “Got Milk?” reminder.
Both were built in 1935 as retail outlets for a creamery; the last creamery outlet closed in 1979, but the buildings have stood the test of time and they are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The milk bottles are 38 feet tall and 15 feet wide at the base. They are examples of mimetic architecture, a style which creates structures depicting nonarchitectural objects (e.g., teapots, animals, and yes, milk bottles).
Not only did this particular place sell some fantastic homemade huckleberry ice cream, but I love the whimsy of these buildings, so I was doubly sad to discover that one of them was no longer quite as photogenic:
I went to photograph this milk bottle building a couple of weeks ago, only to discover that there had been a 3-alarm fire the previous week. The restaurant (also historic) to the left was completely destroyed and the ice cream & sandwich shop housed within the milk bottle has been heavily damaged. *sigh* I can only hope that they will re-open next year, because a building this fantastic shouldn’t be left boarded up and empty.
Spokalulu 