The Big Duck
The Big Duck is a 20-foot (6.1 m) tall ferrocement building in the shape of a duck: a canonical example of novelty architecture. Built in 1931 in Riverhead, New York, United States, it was moved several times to various locations on eastern Long Island, ending up in Flanders in 2007.
Well-known for its distinctive appearance, this structure inspired the word duck as a common term in academic literature used to refer to buildings shaped like everyday objects.
History
düzenleThe building was constructed in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer along Route 24 in Riverhead, Suffolk County, to advertise his Pekin duck business. It was designed by theatrical set designers, and its shape served as a roadside attraction to draw customers.
The duck-shaped building originally sat along what is now New York State Route 24. Maurer sold ducks and duck eggs from the building for decades. After Maurer retired, the building changed hands several times.
In 1987, the Big Duck was moved to a Suffolk County park on the south shore of Long Island. It was moved again in 2007 to a location on Route 24 in Flanders, closer to its original site.
Architecture
düzenleThe building is approximately 20 feet (6 m) tall and 30 feet (9 m) long. It is made of ferrocement over a wooden frame.
The term "duck" was popularized by architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown in their 1972 book Learning from Las Vegas. They used "duck" to describe buildings whose overall form expresses their function.
Gallery
düzenle