Sunday, August 22, 1999
Fans of tacky descend on Columbus
White Castle's origins among draws
BY JOHN McCARTHY
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — For some it's the electric buzz of old neon. For others it's the kitschy signs on long-abandoned motels, diners and gas stations on back roads — or the enamel White Castle hamburger joints.
About 100 members of the Society for Commercial Archeology met this weekend in Ohio's capital to share their passion for preserving familiar and forgotten monuments to American culture, especially the gaudy ones.
“For me personally, nothing is too over-the-top,” said participant Bert Bedeau, who works at the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office in Boise.
The convention drew teachers, designers, architects, collectors and others who simply have a taste for power marketing, said Daniel Hershberger of Plymouth, Mich., the society's president.
The society chose Columbus for its wealth of vintage motels, porcelain-steel buildings and landmark fast-food restaurants, he said. The area is home to both Wendy's International Inc. and White Castle System Inc.
The group's bus tour agenda Saturday included stops at the headquarters of White Castle, which sells little square burgers by the sack at about 330 restaurants, mostly in the Midwest and the East.
The chain's founders began experimenting with steel buildings in the '20s because they were easy to maintain and easy to dismantle and move, a necessity in still-developing urban areas. They settled on steel covered with white porcelain enamel.
The restaurants — inspired by the Chicago Water Tower — were designed to pull customers in off the street, Mr. Hershberger said.
“What you're looking at is one of the earliest trademark buildings. This is a building designed, essentially, to be a three-dimensional logo,” Mr. Hershberger said. “It's a hamburger restaurant, but it's made to look like a castle.”
Not all the society's members agree that fast-food is worth commemorating. The larger chains played a big part in putting the diners and owner-operated lunch counters that the society reveres out of business, said Nancy Sturm, a fund-raiser for the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington.
“I might visit a White Castle because it speaks of the region, but a place like Wendy's that has national penetration doesn't thrill me,” Ms. Sturm said.
The convention kicked off with a reception at the original Wendy's downtown, in a building that once housed a steakhouse and earlier a car dealership. The restaurant, which opened as Wendy's in 1969, includes a museum detailing the history of the 5,300-store chain.
The society's 750 members have long lists of interests, but most are associated with American driving habits, which developed hand in hand — or hamburger in hand — with fast food.
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