When most people think of St. Louis landmarks, they think of the Gateway Arch, located by the city’s riverfront. But if you’ve already been to the Arch, it may be time to look into some of St. Louis’ stranger landmarks. These aren’t the landmarks that put the city on the map, but they are no less significant in defining the city’s quirky character. From giant gas station signs to record-breaking chess pieces, here are some of Scene’s favorite lesser-known St. Louis monuments. – Scene staff

Largest Amoco Gas Station Sign

Noah Jodice

There aren’t many gas station signs as important as the Amoco sign on the corner of Skinker Boulevard and Clayton Road. In fact, there aren’t many landmarks worldwide as important as the Amoco Gas Station. The sign is notable for being the largest Amoco Gas Station sign anywhere (it might be the largest gas station sign, period, but this could not be confirmed by press time).

While you may think of large gas station signs as insignificant, they once populated major highways across the United States. The Amoco sign is a true fixture of American culture, calling out to lonesome and longing drivers in the night. Amoco was founded by one of America’s last true captains of industry, John D. Rockefeller, and although the company went defunct in 2002, its legacy still stands.

Bruce Springsteen commemorated the institution of oversized gas station signs in the epic “Jungleland,” where he sang of the “midnight gang” meeting beneath “that giant Exxon sign that brings this fair city light.” Regardless of brand loyalty, the oversized advertisement deserves respect. If it were ever torn down, the Amoco sign would surely receive a rich funeral procession and I would be sure to attend.

World’s Largest Pencil

Lindsay Tracy

Have you ever wondered, “Wow, I wonder just how big the world’s largest pencil is?” Well, the people at City Museum, the downtown adult playground on North 16th Street, dedicated over 7,000 hours toward solving that major dilemma. This pencil to conquer all pencils is as big as 1,900,000 other pencils put together, according to the museum’s website.

In a way, I’m sure the pencil’s strange size has contributed to much pencil-related loneliness over the years and possibly a few existential crises. Imagine being 1,900,000 times as big as other humans. Would you even fit on Earth? You might literally be out of this world. Perhaps that’s why the City Museum is the perfect place for this misfit pencil: everyone at City Museum is so hyped up on energy that everyone and everything, even an impractically and unusably large pencil, seems normal. Because at the end of the day, aren’t we all made of 4,000 lbs. of graphite?

Largest Rotating Moon Sculpture

Noah Jodice

Some of us spend our whole lives looking up at the moon, wondering if someone around the world is gazing at it too. Well, they probably aren’t, but visitors at the Moonrise Hotel can gaze upon the largest rotating moon sculpture together. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? The largest rotating moon sculpture is just off campus on the Delmar Loop.

Anyone can view the sculpture by simply standing outside the Moonrise Hotel and looking up. You may be thinking, “What about the small model of the moon I made for fourth-grade science class? That was pretty big.” No, it wasn’t. It was lame. We all know your dad did most of the work. The Moonrise sculpture is the real deal. It’s even scientifically accurate, with a painted-on light side and dark side. It’s always spinning, around and around, possibly simulating Tom Hanks and company’s slingshot around the moon in “Apollo 13.” God bless you, Tom Hanks.

World’s Largest Chess Piece

Noah Jodice

The largest chess piece in the world may not be the giant chess set from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” but it’s as close as you’ll get until you receive your Hogwarts acceptance letter. The king piece is 14-feet-six-inches tall and weighs 2,280 lbs. Even if you had a full chess set, you’d need a crane to move the pieces and you’d probably anger the World Chess Hall of Fame, where the piece is located. The Hall of Fame is one of the many notable attractions in St. Louis’ Central West End, and the king piece is surely its crowning achievement.

The piece was built in 2012 by R.G. Ross Construction and is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. If looking at a giant chess piece isn’t enough for you, the Chess Hall of Fame also features exhibits exploring the life of chess master Bobby Fischer and an exhibit on the intersection of the game and pop culture.

Largest Store in the Universe

Noah Jodice

Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Party Warehouse, conveniently located on South Jefferson Avenue, is advertised as the “Biggest Store in the Universe” with “over 25,000 sq. feet of Halloween madness.” The party store is open all year and aggressively advertises itself as the “biggest store in the universe” through a billboard on the adjacent highway.

Its claim is an almost impossible feat to verify. Largest store in the country? Plausible. Largest in the world? Unlikely, but it could happen. Largest in the universe? I doubt it. There is probably an alien race on Rigel 7 that has over 25,010 square feet of Halloween madness. They’re probably better at dressing up for Halloween, too, because they already look like aliens.

Truth be told, I’ve been to Johnnie Brock’s and I can’t honestly refute its claim. I spent probably 45 minutes in the party dungeon and didn’t even see the whole store. There were several aisles in my line of sight that I didn’t even go down, so it’s impossible to say where the store really ends.