| Giant Containers |
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| BARRELS |
| Pickle Barrel House Grand Marais, MI |
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| The Pickle Barrel House was built in 1926. It was constructed on the north shore of Grand Sable Lake as a gift from Reid, Murdock & Co. for William Donahey and his wife Mary Dickerson Donahey. William Donahey was the creator of the famous Teenie Weenie comic strip characters, which at one time were used in advertising Monarch foods, including Teenie Weenie sweet pickles. Mary Dickerson Donahey wrote many famous children's books. The building functioned as a summer cottage for the Donaheys for ten years. In 1936, it was then moved into town where it served as an information booth. The big barrel is two stories and about 16' tall. The smaller barrel was built as a kitchen that was connected to the larger structure by a covered hallway. From 2003-2005, the barrels were restored and turned into a museum (see bottom photos). For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. |
| La Caņa Restaurant North Hollywood, CA |
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| The La Caņa Restaurant was built in 1941 (or 1935 according to another source) by a Universal Studios designer. Of the three giant wooden barrels, the largest is 23' tall and 38' wide. A large rectangular building at the rear served as the restaurant and flamenco club. The building has been vacant since at least the 1970s. For more, see this website. |
| Barrel House Liquors Washington, DC |
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| Barrel House Liquors features a half-barrel entranceway and an old, ivy-covered neon sign in the parking lot behind the store. For more, see this website. |
| Cider Barrel Germantown, MD |
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| The Cider Barrel was built in 1926 as a roadside stand that sold locally produced cider and other produce. It closed for good in 2003 and the trailer park behind it, the Cider Barrel Mobile Home Court, was razed. In 2004-2005, the Barrel was restored and repainted while an apartment complex was built on the property behind it. By 2007 (bottom row of photos), a sign was installed next to the barrel. There are no plans to use the structure for anything at this point. |
| El Barrilito (now Rosendo's Taco Shop) El Cajon, CA |
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El Barrilito (top photo) became Rosendo's Taco Shop sometime between 2001 and 2008. This giant barrel started out as an A&W Root Beer stand. For more, see this website.
These A&W buildings may have inspired this patented design from 1952. For other barrel-shaped eateries, see this page. |
| El Indio de Tijuana Escondido, TX |
Lucky Burger Houston, TX |
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El Indio de Tijuana is a former A&W Root Beer stand. In the 1970s, it was known as Michael's Drive In.
Lucky Burger is another former A&W stand. For more, see this website. |
| former Fatt Dawgs and Beef, now El Barrilito Mesa, AZ |
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| Fatt Dawgs and Beef appears to have been another A&W Root Beer stand. It was closed and for sale when I took these first two photos in 2004. By 2005, it had been repainted and reopened as El Barrilito. By 2009, it had a new paint job. I don't believe there was any relationship with the El Barrilito in El Cajon shown above. For more, see this website. |
| Beef Burger Barrel Amarillo, TX |
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| The Beef Burger Barrel opened as an A&W Root Beer stand in 1937. In the 1940s, it was used as a fruit stand. It has been moved around town over the years but has been here on Plains Blvd. since 1952. It was a Lot-A-Burger from 1953 until around 1970, before becoming the Beef Burger. In the early 1990s, it became the Beef Burger Barrel. The restaurant closed in 2007 reopened a few months later. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| Barrel of Fun Okolona, KY |
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| The Barrel of Fun is used as an ice cream stand. I don't know if it was ever an A&W stand or if it was modeled after one. For more, see this website. |
| La Botte Italian Restaurant Lompoc, CA |
Monkey Madness Misquamicut, RI |
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The La Botte Italian Restaurant opened in 1981. These giant barrels are next to their entrance.
The Monkey Madness amusement park ride is at Atlantic Beach Park. I believe this ride was mass-produced and used at other parks. For more, see this website. |
| Ye Olde Ale House Bethlehem, PA |
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| According to the sign, the Ye Olde Ale House was established in 1962. It has been closed since at least 2007. Does anyone know more about this place? |
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I don't believe this patented barrel was ever built.
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