Longaberger Basket Building

Though the massive basket looks like a misplaced piece from a giant’s picnic, you won’t find any oversized sandwiches or sweets tucked safely inside. The strange structure is actually a seven-story building that can hold up to 500 people.

Starting with a small shop in 1976 in nearby Dresden, Ohio, Dave Longaberger began manufacturing market baskets based on the ones his father had made in a local factory during the Great Depression. Appreciation for the quality of the baskets fueled the demand and growth of the business enough he decided  to build a home office for the company in 1995.

Construction on the home office was completed two years later in 1997. Today, the building resembles the “medium market basket” the company sells, though it is no longer used as Longaberger’s corporate headquarters. 

Two large handles that are heated in winter to avoid icing are attached to the building with replica copper and wood rivets. Two tags adorn the building, similar to the ones on the real baskets, with each gold-leafed tag measuring 25 feet by seven feet. and weighing 725 pounds.

The building is illuminated at night and set amongst a 25-acre landscaped site. After spending three years on the market, the big basket sold in January of 2018 for $1.2 million.

Update as of October 2019: The building is now slated to be transformed into a hotel. 

Update 2024: Hotel plan fell through and a subsequent bankruptcy leaves the building’s future uncertain.