The Longaberger Company is known for its finely crafted and expensive baskets, but their owner’s dream of uniqueness created one of the oddest structures on the planet. The Longaberger home office in Newark, Ohio, is shaped an architectural replica of one of their signature baskets.
When Dave Longaberger first brought up the idea of an office building shaped like a giant basket, not many people took him seriously. I know I wouldn’t have, and if I had been there, I’d have probably seen about getting him committed. Still, he was adamant about creating a building that would help represent his company.
In 1997, the 180,000-square-foot building was completed at a whopping 9,000 tons with 150 tons just from the basket handles. The basket building is 160 times the size of the Medium Market Basket that it was based on.
The basket is a replica in every way, complete with replica copper and wooden rivets and Longaberger tags on each side. The handles are heated to keep ice from forming and weighing them down in the winter months. Good thinking, folks. You do live in Ohio.
What I love about this building is that it was a dream of the company owner and not some architect or engineer brought in to create something special. The Longaberger Co. designed the plans, created the materials and only used an outside firm for the actual building of the structure.
Many people may see this as a gimmick — like those places with the giant dinosaurs or buildings shaped like a boot — but in this case, I would say no. Gimmicks are meant to draw people to a building and to improve sales, but their home office is in the middle of nowhere, Ohio.
There are tours of the building site and its beautiful 30,000-square-foot atrium, but it’s not done to increase sales. Just to show people a cool building. In a world where companies spend millions of dollars on studies to decide what’s the best design for their building to make it cool and noteworthy, The Longaberger Co. took the initiative to do something they wanted to do, even when most people thought it was a joke.
It’s been 13 years since Longaberger debuted its odd architectural marvel. People still flock to see the home office building, and television programs still come to do features on the joke that turned into an icon.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/ashleyhalsey/3093725135
See also:
- The Home Office Essentials
- Patio Furniture Deal at The Hammock Company
- Finding the Perfect Office Chair
- Garden Bargains from Gardener’s Supply Company
- Discount Office Furniture – Executive Massage Chair
- Cubicle Decor: Make Your Office Space More Homelike
- Get Organized! Check Out this Discount Office Furnture!
- Local Architecture: Expand Your Vacation Horizons
- Apple-Shaped Rattan Baskets
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