World's Largest Basket Building

World's Largest Basket Building (tm)

Newark Ohio

Once you've correctly immersed yourself in Longaberger culture by visiting Longaberger Town, Longaberger Homestead (r), shopped at all the Longaberger Stores, and become a Longaberger Representatives pyramiding out to convert more and more middle-aged women into the Longaberger Lifestyle, at some point you MUST make your pilgramage to the Longaberger Headquarters to deposit your Longaberger Party Orders in the big Longaberger Order Drop Basket in the 7 story Longaberger Basket Building (tm).

Or, if you're just studying World's Largest Things, you can be completely amazed at the culture around this set of visions of a basket-filled world.

The Longaberger Basket Building (tm) is a truely impressive example of Mimetic Architecture, and relatively recent at that. It was the brainchild of the Longaberger Empire Founder Dave Longaberger, whos biography was a recent hotseller in the inspirational story market. One of his pithy sayings was proudly parroted by our enthusiastic host: "If they can put a man on the moon, they can certainly build a building that's shaped like a basket."

Pulling up to the building, once again I was thankful it wasn't tourist season. The bus was the only thing in the parking lot. As I was taking some very symmetrical photos of the building, the front door opened and a woman started screaming across the parking lot. At first, we thought she was waving us away, but once the words actually carried over to us we realized that she was waving us in. We raised our hands in acknowledgement, and she just stood there. With the door open. Waiting for us to come inside. From over 100 yards away.

So, we went in. Inside, the beauty of the building is undeniable. An inner atrium soars up to a glass ceiling, through which you can see the basket handles that come together over the roof. The interior is part office building, part propaganda machine, with products, 'Home Consultant' sign-ups, lifestyle magazines, and paintings of the founding family. The host brought herself to the verge of tears periodically telling the legacy of the Longaberger basket company, which we'd gotten a taste of from the Dresden Woven Basket and Homestead Apple Basket(r) experiences.

REBUTTAL

To be fair, I've posted reader comments from the Inside of Longaberger Culture:
I happen to be an independent Longaberger consultant and I appreciate your pictures on the website- however, I think your commentary and opinions on “the Red hated ooying- gotta have one shoppers” the basket “gobbers”, “ingenuine people at the home office” and “fake town at the Homestead” are out of line. It might be better to remove the link all together than to be “slammed” by someone that has no clue about the hobby of collecting Longaberger baskets…Michelle Seale, Kettering, Ohio

Thank you for your comment, Michelle. I stand by my opinions as an independent traveler, and recognize your right to build your own site to the worship of Longaberger and all it's facinating fanatic facets.

World's Largest Basket Building Stats

It's all covered in a big printed postcard the enthusiastic Basket Lady at the door hands you as you stand in awe...

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