Jump to content

Big Chicken

Edit links
Coordinates:33°57′05″N84°31′13″W/ 33.9514°N 84.5204°W/33.9514; -84.5204
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the KFC restaurant. For the chicken restaurant chain, seeBig Chicken (restaurant chain).For other uses, seeBig Chicken (disambiguation).
The Big Chicken
The Big Chicken
Big Chicken is located in Metro Atlanta
Big Chicken
Location withinMetro Atlanta
Big Chicken is located in Georgia
Big Chicken
Big Chicken (Georgia)
Big Chicken is located in the United States
Big Chicken
Big Chicken (the United States)
Map
Interactive map showing the Big Chicken's location
General information
LocationMarietta, Georgia
Address12 Cobb Pkwy N, Marietta GA 30062
Town or cityMarietta, Georgia
CountryUnited States
Coordinates33°57′05″N84°31′13″W/ 33.9514°N 84.5204°W/33.9514; -84.5204
Construction started1956, 1993
Completed1963 (The Big Chicken structure)
Renovated2017
ClientTubby Davis
Design and construction
Architect(s)Hubert Puckett

TheBig Chickenis aKFCrestaurant inMarietta, Georgia,which features a 56-foot-tall (17 m) steel-sided structure designed in the appearance of achickenrising up from the top of the building. It is located at the intersection ofCobb Parkway(U.S. 41/Georgia 3) and Roswell Road (Georgia 120) and is a well-knownlandmarkin the area.[1]Constructed in 1963, it was rebuilt following storm damage in 1993 and underwent a $2 million renovation project in 2017.

History

[edit]
The Big Chicken in action.

The restaurant was built in 1963 at 12 Cobb Parkway, on the newly constructed stretch of Highway 41, the firstdivided highwayin Cobb County. Taking advantage of the prime location on the new and quicker route for travelers on U.S. 41, Johnny Reb's Chick, Chuck and Shake owner S. R. "Tubby" Davis erected the 56-foot (17-meter) tall structure over his restaurant in 1963 as a method of advertising.[2]Thenovelty architecturewas designed by Hubert Puckett, aGeorgia Techstudent ofarchitecture,and fabricated byAtlantic Steelin nearbyAtlanta(of which Marietta is asuburb). Davis later sold it to his brother, and it became afranchiseofKFC.[3]

In January 1993, storm winds damaged the structure, and rather than tear it down KFC was forced by public outcry to re-erect the building.[2]Among those who complained about the Big Chicken being torn down were pilots, who used the building as a reference point when approachingHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International AirportandDobbins Air Reserve Base.[4]The new Big Chicken includes the original design of beak and eyes which move, although this time the vibrations which plagued the first structure (even to the point of breakingwindows) have been eliminated.[5]Pieces of the original structure were sold to collectors assouvenirs.In early April 2006, the structure narrowly escaped a small eastward-moving nighttimetornado,which overturned atractor-trailerat aKmartacross the street, and damaged another building nearby.

In early 2017 it was announced that The Big Chicken would undergo a twelve-week, $2 million renovation, incorporating the chain's newest design and a gift shop. The renovations began January 23, 2017.[6]The restaurant reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 11, 2017.[7]

Culture

[edit]
The Big Chicken Beatles Band Glover Park Concert 2021

The Big Chicken has become one of the most well-recognized landmarks in Marietta, and has an established history of impacting the local culture of the area.[8]Inside the building exists a gift shop selling souvenirs emblazoned with the monument and holding it comparable to other landmarks worldwide such asBig Benand theEiffel Tower.Aboard gamefeaturing the Big Chicken and other local landmarks was produced in 1985 as part of a promotion for the city of Marietta. There is abarbershop-stylesinging group called the Big Chicken Chorus, formed in 1986, which gives concerts throughout the year.[9][10]There is also a Marietta-based band called The Big Chicken Beatles Band which performs often at town activities.[11][12][13]The Big Chicken was also featured on a promotional card inSim City: The Card Game,and has appeared in the comic stripZippy the Pinheadas a part of artist Bill Griffith's fascination with roadside icons.

The Big Chicken is also commonly used as a landmark for driving directions. Locals will often include "make a [turn] at the Big Chicken", or "it's aboutxmiles past the Big Chicken ".[8]This is referenced inmusic video gameRock Band 3's "Road Challenge Mode", when the player is told "Don't be alarmed if you're asking for directions in the bus and the locals tell you to 'turn left at the Big Chicken'".[14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"A century after Jewish man's lynching, Georgia town unsettled".CBS News.August 16, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 27,2016.
  2. ^ab"The Big Chicken".marietta.com.RetrievedFebruary 27,2016.
  3. ^Hill, Jane (1991).Cobb County At the Heart of Change.Atlanta, Georgia: Longstreet Press. pp. 26–27.ISBN1-56352-000-1.
  4. ^"Cobb County Government".Cobbcountyga.gov. March 11, 1948. Archived fromthe originalon January 20, 2010.RetrievedDecember 2,2009.
  5. ^"The Big Chicken, Marietta, Georgia".Roadside America.RetrievedFebruary 27,2016.
  6. ^"Marietta's 'Big Chicken' restaurant getting $2 million renovation".www.bizjournals.com.RetrievedFebruary 13,2017.
  7. ^Cavitt, Ross (May 11, 2017)."Cobb County's 'Big Chicken' reopens after renovations".wsbtv.com.Archivedfrom the original on January 27, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 27,2018.
  8. ^abMorris, Holly (August 6, 1989)."Playing Chicken in Georgia".The San Francisco Examiner.p. 163.RetrievedDecember 21,2021– viaNewspapers.com.Free access icon
  9. ^"Things to do in Cobb County".Access Atlanta.RetrievedFebruary 27,2016.
  10. ^"About us".Big Chicken Chorus.RetrievedFebruary 27,2016.
  11. ^"2021 Glover Park Concert Series".Marietta.com.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
  12. ^"GLOVER PARK CONCERT SERIES: THE BIG CHICKEN BEATLE BAND – HITS OF THE BEATLES".VisitMariettaGA.com.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
  13. ^"The Big Chicken Beatles Band at Marietta Square Sept 24!".Happeningnext.com.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
  14. ^Hicks, Nelson (June 29, 2018)."6 things you didn't know about the Big Chicken".WSB-TV.RetrievedJanuary 6,2020.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Albert C. Smith and Kendra Schank, "A Grotesque Measure for Marietta",Journal of Urban Design,13574809, Oct99, Vol. 4, Issue 3.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toBig Chicken (Marietta, Georgia).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Chicken&oldid=1222976116"