With the rise of automobile travel in the early part of the 20th century, so came the rise of novelty architecture and attempts to attract motorists into businesses along the road. Travelers through Bedford, Pennsylvania may notice this giant coffee pot which is a remnant of that era.
Built in 1927, this coffee pot was a gimmick to draw customers to a service station and restaurant owned by David Bert Koontz. According to a historic marker next to the coffee pot, the early menu included hamburgers, ice cream and Coca Cola. Not only did this quick fare appeal to motorists on the Lincoln Highway, Greyhound passengers took advantage as well when they stopped at the bus depot next door.
It was actually built in another location than its current one but was purchased by the Bedford County Fair Association, relocated to the county fairgrounds, and restored for future generations to enjoy. That was in 2004.
At 18 feet high and 22 feet in diameter, it’s hard to miss and a real treat for us vintage roadside junkies who pretty much live for this kind of thing.
You can’t go inside anymore but it’s free to walk around outside. Here’s a fun fact: if you filled it with coffee, it would hold 819,000 8 ounce cups of coffee!
While it doesn’t serve coffee, it does serve a great lesson in roadside history and the value of creative marketing during the early days of car travel.
There’s just something about this roadside novelty architecture. It had a short window of time, from the 20’s to maybe the 50’s, basically from when cars became obtainable to the masses to the advent of the Interstate Highway System, when people would be driving too fast to notice this kind of stuff. There’s a great example here in Portland, The Sandy Jug, which is exactly a jug on the side of a building on NE Sandy Blvd. It was either a strip club or not used for much of the time living here, so I am glad that someone restored it as a restaurant/bar.
Love the look of it! I would definitely pull over to take a picture and grab a coffee if I came across that giant coffee pot!