Mary Lou's Milk Bottle

When the Benewah Creamery opened a store on West Garland Avenue and North Post Street in Spokane in 1935, it used a rather fitting beacon for dairy lovers: a giant milk bottle.

Spokane Historical reports that the creamery was originally one of several retail outlets owned by dairy merchant Paul Newport. Using local farmers’ raw milk to make products such as cheese and ice cream, the Newport family sold their wares at the store until it went out of business in 1974. By that point, the unusual building had become a Spokane landmark. Even when new owners transformed it into a store selling second-hand furniture and knickknacks, the milk bottle remained.

The looming white structure almost disappeared for good when a fire tore into the building in 2011. Thankfully, it was restored to its original glory. Today, it graces a diner—Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle—that sells burgers, sandwiches, and, naturally, highly praised milkshakes and ice creams.