Buildings that mimic giant objects – known as mimetic or programmatic architecture – have roots in 18th-century Europe. However, they really took off in 1920s America.

Relatively cheap and quick to build, these whimsical structures were designed to catch the attention of passing motorists during the automobile boom of the early century, with their shapes usually indicating what they were selling. They ended up springing up everywhere across America, from New York to California, and from Texas to Minnesota.

Click or scroll on to explore vintage photos of these quirky roadside creations, some of which you can still see today...

*All dates in captions refer to the year the photo was taken.

Vintage photos of America’s beloved novelty landmarks