Giant cashew among the proposals for downtown Springfield

A developer proposed building of a giant cashew near downtown Springfield, Missouri. It’s not a joke.

The Springfield News-Leader reported Mat Burton of the Vecino Group recently made the pitch for the art installation at Idea Commons, an area between downtown, which carried an early alignment of 66, and Chestnut Expressway.

Missouri State University, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and other groups also are working to transform the area.

Back to that cashew …

Curvaceous and crunchy, the cashew is the keystone ingredient in Springfield’s culinary claim to fame — Chinese-American cashew chicken, a brainchild of restaurateur and veteran David Leong.

Burton said the cashew could be an artistic embodiment of the fun, entrepreneurial spirit, community pride and creative push that local leaders hope will redefine Springfield’s forward trajectory.

Leong’s culinary creation in Springfield recently became the subject of a documentary film, “The Search for General Tso,” that chronicles the rise of Chinese cuisine in America. Leong’s restaurant in Springfield was firebombed before he opened, but his food — and his signature dish — eventually won over locals and the nation.

Among the other ideas for Idea Commons:

  • Turning grain elevators into blank canvases for digital-art projections or neon-sign advertisements for community events.
  • A new “Eureka Park” with fountains that form the words “A-ha!”
  • Building or renovating old buildings into gleaming, new structures.

Designs for the area will be finalized in the next year.

People may scoff at the notion of a giant cashew. But it’s so crazy, it could work. The first thing that came to mind from the artist’s rendering was the “Cloud Gate” sculpture, aka “The Bean,” in Chicago, a popular side trip for Route 66 travelers beginning their westbound journey.

And the history of Route 66 is filled with old and new roadside attractions, such as the 66-foot-tall soda bottle at POPS in Arcadia, Oklahoma; the formerly world’s largest rocking chair in Fanning, Missouri; the Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois; and the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma.

So a giant cashew in Springfield would add to the list of Route 66 oddities on the Roadside America website. And it certainly would draw a lot of tourists for photo ops.

(Photo illustration of giant cashew sculpture in downtown Springfield, Missouri)

5 thoughts on “Giant cashew among the proposals for downtown Springfield

  1. To the best of my knowledge, that part of Chestnut Expressway never was part of a Route 66 alignment. That’s farther west, where Red’s Giant Hamburg used to be located.

  2. Trust me Dennis, that is a cashew, with a fair amount of salt. Not orange enough for a Cheeto or white enough for macaroni. Which kind of makes it wrong. Most cashew chicken joints here in Springfield toast the cashews before they are used on our Springfield-style Cashew Chicken. They wind up being a light golden brown color. And yes, Mr. Leong started that.

    There are several cashew chicken places along Route 66 in Springfield. If you’ve never had Springfield-style, I encourage you to stop in one and try it sometime when you are here. To me, it’s kind of like eating a Horseshoe in Illinois or Ugly-Crust Pie in Texas. Definitely something you quickly associate with a distinct place.

    Also try the Burrito-Enchilada Style at the Mexican Villa/El Taco on West Kearney (Truck Rt. 66). That’s another local item of great lore, you either love it or hate it. Their building at 316 West Kearney is very distinct and worth a look anyway. It is the adobe looking, kinda of pale pink building with the great neon sign out front and very 40s/50s knotty pine paneling inside. They are a local chain and their original store on South National (not 66) has wonderful murals and neon on the building itself.

    1. Upon further consideration, I am willing to concede that it is indeed a cashew. I apologize for my outburst.

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