Big Duck, Suffolk County, Long Island (1931)
Duck farmers Martin and Jeule Maurer came up with a creative way to sell their ducks to motorists passing by Riverhead’s West Main Street. Taking a nod from a building they saw in California shaped like a giant coffee pot, they decided a duck-shaped building was the perfect way to gain notice. The Big Duck represents the Mimetic architectural movement at the time. Mimetic architecture replicates every day, non-architectural things like household items (like the coffee pot), animals, even planes and zeppelins. Businesses used this form to gain notice from potential customers. Ice cream shops are good, but an ice cream shop shaped like an ice cream cone would attract more attention. So it was with the Big Duck. After a relocation to Flanders, Long Island and ownership changes, Suffolk County received the Big Duck as a donation in 1987, converting it to a duck-themed gift shop and tourist center.
