Carl’s, a well-known landmark to residents of Fredericksburg, is a retail ice cream stand that has served cones, shakes, and sundaes to satisfied customers since 1953, the year Carl Sponseller opened the business on Princess Anne Street. Art Moderne in style, the concrete-block, flat-roofed building with large plate-glass windows and a colorful neon sign on top was originally known as Carl’s Frozen Custard. Carl’s is a well-preserved example of commercial roadside architecture of the 1950s, a time when the American love of the automobile led to the establishment of eateries that catered to the fast-moving public along major roadways.