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Other Giant Things (page 1)

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Underwood Typewriters [all gone]
Panama-Pacific Exposition
San Francisco, CA
 Garden Pier Exhibit
Atlantic City, NJ
 1939 World's Fair
New York, NY
The Panama-Pacific Typewriter took three years to build and debuted in 1915. It was designed by Underwood - the biggest typewriter producer in the U.S. at the time. It was 15 feet tall and 21 feet wide, weighed 14 tons and was a fully functioning replica of Underwood's #5 typewriter (just 1,728 times bigger). Each typebar weighed 45 pounds and the carriage weighed 3,500 pounds. The paper was 9 foot wide by 12 1/2 feet tall and the typing was done by remote control. The typewriter printed out attendance figures of the fair. For more images, see this website.

After the fair, the Panama-Pacific Typewriter was moved to Atlantic City's Garden Pier in 1916. There, it became part of Underwood's "Products & Progress Pavilion". Later, it was moved to a Convention Hall store facing the Boardwalk. It was there for 22 years (another source says 18 years). The Underwood letterhead shown in the postcard illustration was actually printed by the typewriter. The typed messages welcomed convention visitors.

The New York Typewriter was a giant replica of an Underwood Master. Like its predecessors, it, too, weighed 14 tons and required three years to build. Letters were typed on 9 foot wide by 12 foot tall stationary. The ribbon in the machine was 100 feet long and 5 feet wide.

NCR Cash Register [gone]
1939 World's Fair
New York, NY
The NCR Cash Register was the world's largest cash register. The 40 foot tall model on top of the National Cash Register Building was dsigned by Walter Dorwin Teague. The giant machine rang up both the daily attendance figures at the fair and the total attendance to date. The register revolved continuously so that it could be seen from any part of the surrounding area. The numbers on the register were 2 1/2 feet high. It seems the structure was scrapped after the Fair. For more, see this website.

In 1939, there was another giant National Cash Register at the San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition (1 and 2).

There was also another giant typewriter in New York City in the 1940s. It was installed in Times Square.

Giant Stove
Detroit, MI
The Giant Stove was built in 1893 by the Michigan Stove Company for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It is carved from oak and is 25 feet tall, 30 feet long and 20 feet wide. It represents the "Garland" which was a kitchen range. In the 1880s, Detroit was the stove-making capital of the world.

After Chicago, the Giant Stove was moved to Detroit. In 1927, when the Michigan Stove Company merged with Detroit Stove Works to become the Detroit-Michigan Stove Company, the Giant Stove was refurbished and installed on Jefferson Avenue. In 1965, it was moved to the State Fairgrounds. In 1974, when it was pretty much falling apart, it was disassembled and the parts were put in storage at the Fort Wayne Military Museum. In 1998, funds were raised and the Stove was restored and re-erected at the Fairgrounds where it stands today. In 2011, the Stove was pretty much destroyed by a fire started by a lightning strike. It's not known if it will be rebuilt. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

Giant Tire
Detroit, MI
The Giant Tire is made of fiberglass and is 86 feet tall - the equivalent of an eight story building. It debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 as a working ferris wheel. The ferris wheel consisted of 24 barrel-shaped gondolas, rotating around the circumference of the tire. More than two million people rode it. After the Fair, it was brought back to Detroit, sans ferris wheel cars, as an advertising landmark for the U.S. Royal (now Uniroyal) plant and tourist attraction.

In 1990, Michelin Tire bought Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Co. and renovated and updated the Giant Tire in 1994. Neon lighting and a new hubcab were added. In 1998, the tire was altered to advertise the company's self-sealing Tiger Paw NailGard tire and a 10 foot long nail was stuck in it. A new hubcab was added that said "Takes on Nails". The Tire still stands today, without the nail, on eastbound I-94 in Allen Park. It was renovated again in 2003. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Twin Arrows
Twin Arrows, AZ
 Giant Arrow
Alpena, MI
 Arrow
Albuquerque, NM
 Arrow
O'Donnell, TX
The Twin Arrows complex was built as the Canyon Padre Trading Post around 1949. This Route 66 tourist stop became the Twin Arrows Trading Post in the 1950s and these 20 foot tall arrows were built at that time. In addition to the trading post which functioned as a souvenir shop, there was a gas station and the Twin Arrows Café diner. The businesses closed in the late 1990s and the site is now closed off and owned by the state. The arrows were in bad shape when the first photo above was taken in 2004. In 2009, they were restored. The second photo is from 2012.

The Arrow in Alpena stands in front of the Red Arrow Party Store. [photo thanks Mark Comstock]

This Red Arrow in Albuquerque has been here since the early 1960s. It had the name "Indian Plaza" painted on it originally. The Indian Plaza shopping center was redesigned but the arrow was allowed to stay.

The Arrow in O'Donnell is one of ten that were installed in 2011 to mark the Quanah Parker Trail. The 23 foot tall steel arrows were created by Charles Smith. For more, see this website.

There are more Giant Arrows in Mancos, CO.

Longhorn Grill
Amado, AZ
The giant longhorn skull which housed the Longhorn Grill was built in 1973 for the movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore". It has been used for many things: a bait and tackle shop, a gift shop, a bar, a pizza place and office space. It had been home to the Longhorn Grill since 1998 until it closed in 2012. It remains vacant in 2013. The skull is made of concrete over wire mesh and is 15 feet tall. The horns extend 20 feet from each side. It was built by Michael Kautza who is also created the Wine Bottle and Matador & Bull in Tucson, AZ. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Pee Wee Dalton's
Midland, TX
2008:
 2012:
Pee Wee Dalton's store specializes in Western boots and accessories. The facade has been updated but the giant longhorn skull remains.