While they are usually built as fun and kitschy roadside attractions to lure motorists off the highway, animal-shaped buildings are often sources of local pride. But more than that, they can be completely functional and mimetic, in that they are symbolic of the structure’s original purpose and surroundings. We've tracked down 29 weird and wonderful examples of animalistic architecture.
From dogs and ducks to crocodiles and crabs, read on to see the most amazing animal-shaped buildings around the world...
Designed by Tomi Ungerer and Ayla Suzan Yondel and built in the likeness of an adorable giant, white cat with pointed ears and whiskers, Kindergarten Die Katze is a schoolhouse where children sing, play and learn. The students enter through the open mouth, giving the impression that they are being swallowed up. It has added play areas in the outstretched paws and from the upper level, youngsters can slide down the steel tube that forms the cat’s tail to reach the playground in the back.
In 1994, a couple in the tiny farming outpost of Tirau on New Zealand’s North Island were frustrated by the lack of customers wanting their wool products. So to attract attention, they covered their barn outlet with corrugated scrap iron and turned it into a silly sheep head. The ewe was successful in shepherding in curious visitors, so they added two more buildings looking like a ram and a happy dog-shaped visitors centre, also designed by local artist and entrepreneur Steven Clothier. You’ll find local products inside as well as the owner’s funky collection of art made from discarded corrugated metal.
While American roadside attractions are notoriously kitschy, this avian-themed egg shop could be the quackiest of them all. Hatched in 1931, the 20-foot-tall (6.1m) and 30-feet-long (9.1m) bird has a white ferrocement body and eyes made from Ford Model T taillights. Originally designed by three Long Island locals to encourage drivers to make a pit stop and wander inside to buy their eggs and duck products, it is now a beloved local landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. On special occasions, the caretakers dress up the bird in ridiculous outfits.
The observatory at the UK’s Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Martin Mere Wetlands Centre contains a timber frame with British larch and was designed and built by Global Impact’s Mick Petts and Bryan Spooner. The WWT was established in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott, a man described by Sir David Attenborough as “the patron saint of conservation”, and the hide provides an excellent view over the Woodend Wetlands and reed beds.
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Designed by architect and owner Dominic Noel, the Trojan Horse is part of a series of unusual 'rooms' within La Balade des Gnomes. Clad in wooden shingles, it can be wheeled around the grounds letting guests enjoy the views or plan their attack. The property, which lies 2.5 miles (4km) from the Neolithic Megaliths of Weris, has 12 crazy rooms (only one in the horse itself), with the inspiration for each one coming from traditional fairy tales – think wooden toadstools, starry skies glowing on the ceiling and crooked windows.
This six-storey pachydermatous edifice on the Jersey Shore is a true survivor having lived multiple lives. She first served as a marketing gimmick to attract real estate sales in Margate City, then operated as a tavern, and was even used as a private residence. In 1976, Lucy was designated a National Historic Landmark. Today, the wood and tin sculptural building’s current function is that of a gift shop and good old-fashioned tourist attraction.
If you have ever dreamt of saying 'I do' within the gaping jaw of a 143-foot long (3.5m) muskellunge, then this could be the spot for you. The semi-terrifying fibreglass muskie (a large and particularly unattractive member of the pike family) is a popular spot for intimate wedding ceremonies and photography. Its needle-toothed mouth acts as an observation deck and can accommodate about 20 people, while the belly of the four-and-a-half-storey fish is home to the museum's Shrine To Anglers.
Australia’s Grampians National Park is known for its exotic wildlife, particularly dingoes and kangaroos. But arguably the strangest native creature is the Giant Koala that sits at Dadswells Bridge. Nearly 50 feet (15.2m) tall, the marsupial looks unintentionally creepy with a grim smile, bulging eyes and hair sticking out of its ears. Sculptor Ben Van Zetten built the Giant Koala in 1988 out of bronze and steel, and it quickly became a tourist attraction. In 2009, the animal was named Sam to honour a koala who died in a wildfire.
In Idaho – the glorious land of potato farms, chichi ski resorts and monstrous trout – lies this unique bed and breakfast. The property is a dog-lover’s dream, as it resembles a 30-foot (9m) brown-and-white beagle with floppy ears and a red bow-tie. Toby, the smaller (12 feet/3.65m) beagle, stands by his side. Inside the dog house (the big beagle's belly) is a themed suite decorated in canine carpets and bed frames. Guests can also buy dog sculptures carved with chainsaws by the artist couple that runs the funky inn, Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin.
Kishi Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway Kishigawa Line is famous for its stationmaster cat. The first, Tama, passed away in 2015 and has now become a guardian deity with a dedicated shrine on the platform. Not only that, the train station has a thatched roof, stained-glass windows and cat-like exterior, and there’s also a train with the face of a cat.
Members of the Friends of the Turtle Group and others have recently teamed up to save the Turtle, a historic three-storey building in Niagara Falls. Designed by Northern Arapaho architect Dennis Sun Rhodes, it is the former home of The Native American Center For The Living Arts. It opened in 1981 as a place to exhibit the history and culture of Indigenous communities, before closing in 1995. It's remained vacant ever since.
Elephants are a key aspect of Thai culture, and the impossible-to-miss Elephant or Chang Building high-rise in downtown Bangkok is a brilliant example of pachyderm-inspired architecture. The structure was the brainchild of real estate mogul and engineer Arun Chaisaree and architect Ong-ard Satrabhandhu. It's split into seven parts and includes multi-storey balconies where the animal’s ears are and 20 storeys of smoked-glass rooms making up the tail.
Completed in 1972 and located along the majestic Route 66, the Big Blue Whale is considered royalty in the world of kitschy roadside attractions. It was built by retired zoologist Hugh S Davis as a place for his grandchildren to swim and play. Davis, along with his friend Harold Thomas, welded the metal framework of the body, then applied hand-mixed cement. While the pond is more stagnant than swimmable these days, it is now operated by Davis’ daughter and is open for visitors to enjoy picnics and fishing trips.
In 1989, a Javanese man had a dream that he should build a church for people of all religions, shaped like a dove wearing a crown. He embarked on the project, but ran out of money and was forced to abandon it. Now, tourists flock to Bukit Rhema ('Chicken Church'), which has been revitalised by artists. You can pray in rooms that look like jail cells, eat Indonesian snacks in the cafe, and climb into the crown of the ‘chicken’ to see views of the surrounding mountains.
Featured in cult classic films Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and The Wizard, sculptor and theme park artist Claude Bell's roadside dinosaurs have cemented their place in pop culture. Mr Rex, Dinny and their 100 dino friends provide funny photo ops, while a walk around the site also includes a dino dig and fossil/gemstone panning sluice. The gift shop is also shaped like a dinosaur, which houses a creationism museum.
Thailand has many flamboyant temples, but few can surpass the fierce Wat Samphran. Located 25 miles (20km) west of Bangkok, you can't fail to notice the 17-storey pink cylinder that is being strangled by a scaly green dragon. The mythical creature’s pointy feet cover some of the upper windows and its head rises above the roof in mid-roar. This Dragon Temple was constructed in the early 1980s after the founder saw a vision of it during a seven-day meditative fast. In addition to the 260-foot-tall (79m) dragon, there is a white elephant in the garden and a rabbit with paws held in prayer at the dining hall.
Located at the intersection of Cobb Parkway and Roswell Road, the steel-sided structure designed to look like a chicken is a well-known landmark in the area. Originally constructed in 1963, the novelty property was designed by Hubert Puckett, a Georgia Tech student of architecture, and fabricated by Atlantic Steel in nearby Atlanta. It became part of the KFC franchise in 1974, and in 2017, The Big Chicken underwent a 12-week, £1.5 million ($2m) renovation, incorporating a new design and gift shop.
While driving through the suburbs of Sofia, you might do a double-take when you see a rainbow snail nestled among the drab buildings. Built by artists, the five-storey Snail House has two light-up tentacles, a droopy face and a colourful swirling shell. Residents enter through the curved mouth, while its eyes function as air vents. On top of the building is a chimney shaped like a bumblebee, while a radiator is disguised as a pumpkin.
When travelling down I-19 near Amado, you will see one of the most unique entrances to a restaurant anywhere in the world. The building shaped like a colossal cow head was built in the early 1970s by Tucson artist Michael Kautza, and it was formerly a bait shop, a clothing store and a roofing company. Despite its size, the 30-foot-high (9.1m) longhorn skull looks so realistic that the restaurant owners have to explain to some visitors that it isn’t actually real.
Nicknamed ‘Rambo’ (it was modelled after a real ram who lived at a nearby property), the smug-looking 50-foot-tall (15.2m) concrete structure was unveiled in 1985 to bring attention to local wool products. In 1997, the ruminant – the largest sheep in the world – was relocated from its original spot to a more high-traffic location near an expressway exit. Nowadays, travellers can step inside to see a historic exhibition about the history and production of wool in Australia and buy mohair throws, possum-blend wool jumpers and sheepskin Ugg boots from the gift shop.
Designed by German architect Thomas Klumpp, many have said the spectacular futuristic Universum Science Center looks like a whale, clam or even a pistachio. Inside, over 300 exhibits are spread over 10 floors and shed light on technology, people and nature. Around 450,000 visitors stop by annually to explore space travel, sharks, chemistry experiments, the world's most venomous snakes and rainforest safaris.
Located in a commercial district of Hyderabad, the headquarters of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) looks like a fish out of water. The four-storey building is shaped like a silver carp with three fins, a tail and a gaping mouth. Every morning, the staff of the aquaculture-promoting organisation (formed to bolster Indian fish exports) enter through a staircase below the left flipper. When on their lunch break, you can see people gazing out of the round blue eyes, which double as windows.
Inspired by the movie Crocodile Dundee, the Kakadu Hotel opened in 1988. Today, it’s fully Indigenous-owned and pays tribute to the native Gaagudju people, who consider the crocodile to be their spiritual ancestor. Hotel guests have to dodge the spiky white teeth and enter through its jaws, and in the belly of the green beast, they’ll find 110 luxury hotel rooms and a courtyard. If you want to see real crocodiles, head on a cruise or go to a viewing platform at the surrounding Kakadu National Park.
There’s a local legend that Casa Caracol, as this quirky house is known, washed ashore and contained enough conch meat to feed the entire island. The original shell, which contains a master bedroom and bathroom upstairs, and a living room, kitchen and half bath downstairs, was built by Mexican artist architect Eduardo Ocampo in 2001. A second and third shell were later added, and today the house is adorned with scallop-shelled headboards, showers and sinks where water flows through seashell spouts.
If you glance out the window while flying above Bulu Village near to Kartini Beach, you’ll see a Godzilla-sized turtle crawling out from the Java Sea and onto the shore. This behemoth is actually the nautical-themed Kura Kura Ocean Park, an aquarium that educates visitors about local ocean species and conservation. The structure looks remarkably like a giant Indonesian green turtle, complete with wrinkled skin and a textured shell. At happy hour, sip on a cocktail at a nearby cafe and watch the sun set over its shell.
Aside from the scenic views and tourist spots, the agricultural Pangasinan province is also known as the home of gastronomic delights. The Alimango (Crab) Restaurant, located in Arellano Street, operated in 1981 as a seafood restaurant and offered fine dining in its first floor while its second floor functioned as a disco hub. Although a well-known landmark, it lies abandoned today.
At 30 feet (9m) high and weighing 35 tonnes, the Big Prawn is one of Australia's most famous Big Things. It was built in 1989 and despite nearly being demolished in 2009, it was saved by a community outcry and local hardware store Bunnings, who funded a AUS$400,000 (£203k/US$262k) makeover. The new-and-improved Big Prawn was unveiled in 2013, and for the first time, it had a tail. If the sight of all that seafood makes you peckish, there are some great places selling fresh catches on the other side of the road.
Inside this five-storey giant toad-shaped building is an exhibition telling the story of local folklore, specifically the fight between Phaya Khankhak (Giant Toad) and Phaya Thaen (God of Isan) that later became an origin of the Rocket Festival (Bun Bang Fai). There is also biological data on species of amphibians and Hit Sip Song (Isan merit-making traditions). Visitors can enjoy views of the city as well as the Thuan River from the mouth of the Giant Toad.
Visitors flock to see this church tower's unintended feature – it happens to resemble a giant cartoon chicken from multiple points of view. After the Second World War, a small community in Madeira Beach managed to raise enough money to buy land on which to build a church the area was lacking. Volunteers flooded to help, including an architect who unintentionally constructed porthole windows (eyes) and red tile awnings (beak) from the Spanish-style bell tower. The quirky appearance eventually inspired the nickname Chicken Church, raising a smile to whoever spots its startling expression.