MARIETTA, Ga. — A famous Cobb County landmark celebrated its 60th birthday over the weekend.

The Big Chicken has long been a recognizable landmark on Cobb Parkway in Marietta.

The 56-foot-tall structure is now a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant but was originally built in 1963 as an eatery called Johnny Reb’s Chick, Chuck ‘N Shake.

In 1966, the structure was purchased by KFC.

KFC initially wanted to tear down the big structure, but Colonel Sanders was talked out of it by Stanley Davis, who initially opened the restaurant.

A bad windstorm combined with deterioration over the years nearly had the structure torn down in 1993, but public outcry saved it.

Part of that public outcry came from pilots who said they used the building as a reference when landing in Atlanta and at Dobbins.

Instead of tearing down the structure, the popular fast food restaurant decided to rebuild instead.

The Big Chicken was most recently renovated back in 2017.

For more information on the history of the Big Chicken, click here.

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