City of Atlanta - Atlanta
Betterment Fund Announces New American Giants Attraction
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[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.
![](../images/042623PIX/AGM%20Building_small.JPG)
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.
![](../images/042623PIX/Texaco%20Big%20Friend%20copy_small.jpg)
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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]
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