Big Duck
The Big Duck | |
The Big Duck was constructed in the 1930s to help its owner's duck farming business. | |
Interactive map showing the Big Duck’s location | |
| Location | Flanders, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°54′25.9″N 72°37′20.6″W / 40.907194°N 72.622389°W |
| Built | 1931 |
| Architectural style | Novelty architecture |
| Website | bigduck |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000164 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 28, 1997 |
| Designated NYSRHP | January 17, 1997 |
The Big Duck is a ferrocement style building in the shape of a duck, located in Flanders within the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, United States.
The building was originally constructed in the adjacent town, Riverhead, and has been moved several times to various locations on eastern Long Island. The building is well-known for its distinctive appearance. This structure inspired the word "duck" to be a relatively common phrase in academic literature used to refer to buildings shaped like everyday objects or describe excessive ornamentation used in graphical presentations of data.
It was originally built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer and used as a shop to sell ducks, dairy, and duck eggs. It was added to both the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places in 1997. It is a principal building on the Big Duck Ranch, listed on the NRHP and NYSRHP in 2008.