Stranger things in Georgia: Marietta KFC housed in 56-foot-tall "Big Chicken" building

If you're driving through Marietta, it's nearly impossible to miss the local KFC.

There are more than 150 Kentucky Fried Chickens in the Georgia coop, but Marietta's is probably the most unique because it's housed in a 56-foot tall chicken-shaped building with eyes that roll in circles and a beak that opens and closes.

"The Big Chicken" was erected in 1963 by S. R. "Tubby" Davis as an advertisement for his restaurant Johnny Reb's Chick, Chuck and Shake, according to Explore Georgia. Davis got his nickname from his feats of devouring whole buckets of chicken, according to marietta.com. It was designed by Hubert Puckett, a Georgia Tech architecture student, and made by Atlantic Steel in Atlanta. Davis later sold it to his brother, and it became a KFC franchise location.

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The restaurant became a KFC in 1974, and since then the Big Chicken has been threatened to be taken down by corporate branding and storm damage. But the community's love for it and its popularity with tourists have kept it alive. In 2017, the location underwent a $2 million update, renovating the interior and exterior, adding a gift shop, and adding a voice to the bird you can hear on the radio by tuning in to 820 AM.

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The Big Chicken's love has also extended into the Marietta History Center, where a variety of merchandise like tea towels, mugs, postcards, and jewelry are sold in-store and online bearing the iconic bird's image.

"It's one of those things we use around Marietta as a directional, like 'One mile north of the Big Chicken,'" said the center's collections manager Christa McCay. "Airplanes have used it as a land marker for them when they're flying in. It's been a question on 'Jeopardy!' a couple of times. I always like to tell people that Kennesaw Mountain is probably our most well-known natural landmark and the Big Chicken is our most well-known manmade landmark."

In August, Marietta celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Big Chicken which also served as the 90th birthday celebration for Puckett.

The Big Chicken still runs today as a full-service KFC you can order lunch or dinner from. It's open all week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is located at 12 Cobb Parkway N. For more information, follow the Big Chicken on Facebook.