Novelty architecture, also called mimetic architecture, is a unique type of building known for its unusually literal appearance. These buildings often commemorate an event or serve as an advertisement. They can also copy other famous buildings without any intention of being authentic. The style generally became popular in the United States in the 1930s, though some examples date back to the very beginning of the 20th century. Today, novelty buildings can be admired throughout the world, and serve as visitor attractions in their own right.
A former gas station built in the shape of a teapot located in Zillah, Washington state, this quirky example of novelty architecture was constructed in 1922.
Wigwam Motels, also known as the "Wigwam Villages," is a motel chain in the United States built during the 1930s and 1940s. Two of the motels are located on Route 66, in Holbrook Arizona, and Rialto, California.
Constructed in the 1930s to help its owner's duck farming business, the Big Duck was originally used as a shop to sell ducks and duck eggs. It nests in Flanders on Long Island, in New York
Bangkok's Elephant Building consists of three towers—the back and front legs of an elephant, and a trunk complete with eyes and tusks. It's one of the strangest examples of modern architecture in Thailand.
The BMW Tower in Munich, Germany is built to mimic the shape of four cylinders in a car engine, with the museum (foreground) representing a cylinder head.
The Haines Shoe House was built in 1948 as an advertising gimmick by "Colonel" Mahlon N. Haines, the self-styled shoe wizard of York, Pennsylvania. It still stands today.
The Spittelau incinerator in Vienna, Austria is famous for its contemporary and colorful architecture representing a symbiosis of technology, ecology, and art.
The enormous Kiwi360 stands as an attraction at the Te Puke Kiwifruit Center in New Zealand. One side of the Kiwi360 is green, and the other side is yellow.
