The Tepee, Roadside attraction in Cherry Valley, New York, US
The Tepee is a metal cone-shaped structure about 50 feet tall that operates as a souvenir shop along US Route 20. The building serves as a striking landmark for travelers moving through this main highway corridor.
The building opened in 1954 and represents the era when roadside attractions thrived along American highways before the interstate system transformed travel patterns. This period marked a peak in constructing distinctive commercial structures to draw passing travelers.
The Tepee's attached L-shaped wing houses a gift shop and food stand, a layout unchanged since the building opened in 1954. The 50-foot steel-sheathed cone above it was raised as a roadside draw for motorists on the highway, and the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
The Tepee stands near Cherry Valley in Otsego County, New York, with an attached L-shaped building housing the gift shop and food stand. The four-level structure is 50 feet tall and 42 feet in diameter, so visitors can spot the cone from a distance. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
The cone-shaped metal structure ranks among the rare buildings of its kind from the 1950s still operating as originally intended. The unusual design made it a photographed landmark for drivers long before social media spread such images.
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