Greetings from central Ohio – Newark, to be exact – home of the defunct Longaberger Basket Company. Once a $1 billion company with more than 8,000 employees and 70,000 sales associates, the company shut down last year.
The former Longaberger Home Office (1997) is 160 times larger than the basket after which it is modeled. It is seven stories tall and 180,000 square feet. The handles weigh approximately 150 tons and are heated to prevent ice formation.
Longaberger vacated the building in July 2016. Developers purchased it in 2017, but for now it sits empty. Today it was open for tours, thanks to Heritage Ohio, which sponsored a “picnic” with food trucks and live music.
There’s not much to see inside, other than the 30,000 square foot atrium and skylight.
Visiting The Basket got me thinking about how much I enjoy larger-than-life objects, and why. I am a fan of outsider art and art some might consider “low brow” – a middle finger to the establishment and the elite in the “Art World.” I firmly believe that art is anything you want it to be. I am also enamored of camp and kitsch, especially when they are used to elevate banal, everyday items into something grand, and/or ridiculously sublime.
These last four years, I’ve seen lots of Big Stuff.
Hot dogs and ice cream are often enlarged,
and so are fruit and veg,
but other culinary items also get the treatment,
and let’s not forget beverages!
Cattle are pretty common it seems (especially this one particular bull),
but other critters get magnified too.
Footwear? Some,
and sporting goods and instruments as well.
Wherever there is a history of logging you’ll find Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox,
but there are plenty of other giant folks too, both real and imagined.
The mainstream art world gets in on it too.
Do you have any Big Time favorites from your travels? Post ‘em here!
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I love these pictures!
I heart U Tammy xoxo
To round out your Big Time experience, you definitely need to add Casey, IL to your trip routing at some point…it is beyond awesome, especially the working mailbox!!! See here: https://mymodernmet.com/casey-illinois-worlds-largest-objects/
Love it, Bob! Thanks!
One of my favorites is the largest Ball of Paint in Alexandria Indiana. We were invited to paint our own layer and even got a certificate. The gentleman keeps track of how many countries, and what colors are used for the most layers. A great kick! (Hint: wear shoes you don’t care about, or bring shoe covers. My husband is still bemoaning the pink drops of paint in his sandals.
Great collection. When in Washington try to see the world’s largest egg, in Winlock, WA (off I-5 in Lewis County). 😃
Great Art and Architecture !!
I see a Coffee Table (or any table) Art and Architecture Book in your future.
I love Big Things and I cannot lie! Some I’ve enjoyed are the Golden Driller in Tulsa, OK; the famous blue whale of Catoosa, OK; a giant loon in Vergas, MN; the world’s largest turkey in Frazee, MN; an enormous work boot in Red Wing, MN; Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, SD; a brontosaurus family in Santa Fe; a pepto pink dinosaur in Spring Hill, FL; an entire driving tour of yuge scrap metal sculptures in ND; a tall chief in Cherokee, NC; and another in Freeport, ME; King Neptune in Virginia Beach…to name a few. Thanks for the memories!
NICE Sir Mix-A-Lot reference there, Jules.