See Milk Bottle Grocery: An Iconic Route 66 Landmark

Milk Bottle Grocery

The infamous Route 66 highway has a long and interesting history. Oklahoma is especially notable for having more miles of the old road still in use than any other state, and for being centrally located on the route. That means there’s all kinds of symbols that make up Route 66 history, and that includes the historical Milk Bottle Grocery.

What is Milk Bottle Grocery?

Located in Oklahoma City’s Asian District, the Milk Bottle Grocery building is a unique and eccentric Route 66 landmark. This narrow, triangular building was constructed in the 1930s. However, the enormous milk bottle on top was not added until 1948.

Today, the enormous milk bottle bears the brand of Braum’s, a well-known Oklahoma-based dairy company with over 300 locations. On one side of the grocery is a mural saying “Oklahoma City … Where the Thunder Rolls”.

Did you know? Anyone can take a tour of the Braum’s Family Farm located in Tuttle, OK. Click to learn more.

An Iconic Route 66 Landmark

triangle building with milk bottle on top

Joel Bradshaw, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

This small, red brick commercial building is triangular shaped and only 350 square feet. It became famous because of the gigantic metal milk bottle that sits atop the roof. This was originally designed as an advertising gimmick for the dairy industry to draw attention to the store.

When Classen Boulevard was still part of U.S. Route 66, the bottle could be seen by drivers passing by. The Milk Bottle Grocery is not only a great landmark for a photo stop, but it is also one of a few triangular buildings left in the city. The store is situated on a corner lot with Classen Boulevard cutting diagonally through Oklahoma’s street grid.

A Historical Site

So what exactly used to be in the now Milk Bottle Grocery building? Well, this triangular building has seen several businesses come and go over the decades; from a realty office, a fruit market, a cleaners, a barbecue joint, and a Vietnamese sandwich shop.

Now, it sits pretty much in the middle of a road as a “photo op” and conversation piece, not being used for anything more than a fancy billboard for Braum’s.

The Milk Bottle Grocery building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1998, and it was announced in August of 2014 that the building would be restored to its original appearance.