City of Atlanta - Atlanta Betterment Fund Announces New American Giants Attraction

 

[April 25, 2023] 

The Atlanta Betterment Fund organization announces plans to open an American Giants Museum in the City of Atlanta, Illinois. The new, one-of-a-kind experience will be located on the 1926 alignment of Route 66 (Arch Street) in downtown Atlanta.

The American Giants Museum will tell the story of the kitschy and quirky “Muffler Man/Bunyan Giant” statues that sprang up in the 1960s as advertising gimmicks across the USA. Today, they are some of the most popular sights for tourists traveling Historic Route 66.

The Atlanta Betterment Fund is working with Joel Baker, the nation’s leading authority of – and advocate for – the identification, preservation, and restoration of the giant fiberglass statues produced in the early 1960s by International Fiberglass Company, once located in Venice, California.

Baker visited Atlanta a number of years ago while documenting the Bunyan giant that currently resides there on Arch St. As a result, he approached the Atlanta Betterment Fund with the idea of creating an American Giants Museum. Baker’s collection of original molds, materials, files, photos, and documents from International Fiberglass will be the basis for the museum’s exhibits, giving Route 66 tourists the chance to see, learn about, and interact with what will be the largest single collection of American Giants anywhere along Route 66.

The American Giants Museum building’s exterior resembles a vintage Texaco service station because one of the museum’s featured outdoor exhibits will be a 24’ tall “Texaco Big Friend,” statue.

Up to five additional giant statues, each approximately 19’ tall, will also be displayed as part of the museum’s “Route 66 Land of the Giants Rest Stop area, located on the museum’s grounds. The additional giants will begin with one installed this year, and others arriving one at a time over the next three years leading up to the Route 66 Centennial in 2026. The Museum’s interior includes exhibit space, a public restroom, storage for rotating exhibits, and an office for the Atlanta Tourism Director.

The American Giants Museum will hold a ‘soft opening” this Memorial Day weekend. Regular operating days/hours will then be announced on the on the American Giants Museum website, with a Grand Opening scheduled for later this summer. Learn more, and follow the museum’s progress, at: www.americangiantsmuseum.com. 

The Atlanta Betterment Fund has taken the initiative to develop the American Giants Museum, because it sees the project’s potential for increasing tourist and tour group visits to Atlanta. The city anticipates additional visitors will translate into economic growth for the community and local businesses.

The Atlanta Betterment Fund is a 501 (c)(3) organization, established in 2008 through private donations and administered by a board of directors. Its mission is to make Atlanta a better place to live by supporting its business, civic, and religious organizations.

[Bill Thomas
Logan County Economic Development Partnership]