American Icons

By Janice Castro

Huge, hideous, kitschy, but popular nonetheless, these monuments to commercialism are an endangered species:

Sacred Cow. For 25 years, Harmilda has watched over Harvard, Ill., "Milk Center of the World." Last month the beloved bovine was threatened by road improvements.

Bottom Line. The Coppertone girl and her pup in downtown Miami are sending the wrong signal in these solar-phobic times, says the manufacturer.

Rubber Soul. Detroit's 80-ft. tire began life as a Ferris wheel and was nearly removed in the mid-1980s. But civic pride has preserved Uniroyal's humongous hoop.

Massachusetts Miracle. The Boston Landmarks Commission stepped in to save Citgo's early example of computer-controlled neon.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart