Twistee Treat - Collegeville, PA
Posted by: 
Janila
N 40° 11.002 W 075° 26.543
18T E 462339 N 4448203
Although it is no longer an operating business, this Twistee Treat building is still standing, one of two in Pennsylvania.
Waymark Code: WMZB9A
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 10/13/2018
Views: 3
From the Roadside Architecture website, Twistee Treat ice cream was a Florida creation but a few have ventured to other states, including two that ended up in Pennsylvania. (
visit link) :
"Twistee Treat buildings are 28 feet tall and 20 feet wide fiberglass ice cream cones topped with cherries. The design was created by Robert G. "Skip" Skinner who built the first location in North Fort Myers in 1982. The buildings were produced in Cape Coral, FL. They were made from 19 pieces of fiberglass and assembled on-site. By 1986, there were 30 locations, all of them in Florida. It is believed that about 90 of these buildings were produced over the years. About half of them have been demolished.
In 1990, the company filed for bankruptcy. A new company was formed in 1996. In 1999, this new Twistee Treat Corporation still managed 35 locations in Florida and Missouri and planned to expand to Georgia and Texas. These new locations were to offer gourmet coffee, burgers, and other food. The interiors were to feature swivel stools, white fiberglass counters, and a white and magenta color scheme. However, I don't believe any of these new buildings were ever built. The company ceased to exist around 2000. Before becoming defunct, Twistee Treat sold the franchising rights to a company in Canada. Using the name of Twirlees, the company produced similar, smaller mobile units and trucks. There were several of these units in Florida. There was one of these units at the Twistee Treat in Ocala, FL which was moved to West Chester, OH (see below).
In 2010, an Orlando-based company was established to revive the Twistee Treat chain. In 2011, Twistee Treat USA opened a location in Orlando, FL. The company now has 13 locations in Florida: Kissimmee (3), Tampa (3), Orlando (2), Davenport, Spring Hill, Sebring, Tarpon Springs, and Sheldon. For more, see this website."
The Collegeville Twistee Treat was part of the former Pit Stop complex which included go karts, miniature golf and an arcade. The Twistee Treat building was actually transported to Collegeville from Florida in 1997 and although the Pit Stop closed, the ice cream cone remains. It looks as though the land around it is used as parking for construction workers.