Bedford Pennsylvania West End U.S. 30 Lincoln Highway Coffee Pot Gas Real Photo Postcard
The Coffee Pot, situated on the west end of Bedford, Pennsylvania, exemplifies "programmatic" or novelty architecture, a prevalent trend in American roadside design during the 1920s and 1930s. Built around 1927 by David Bert Koontz, this oversized coffee pot-shaped structure was strategically designed to capture the attention of early automobile travelers, initially serving as a lunch counter or diner. Such whimsical buildings capitalized on the novelty of car travel, providing memorable landmarks along emerging highway systems.
The complex, featuring Bert Koontz's Atlantic Gasoline station and "Rooms" for lodging alongside the Coffee Pot, reflects the nascent infrastructure for American road travel, positioned on U.S. Route 30. Established in 1926, U.S. 30 was a crucial transcontinental highway, driving the development of roadside amenities like fuel, food, and accommodation. This arrangement of services, dating to the early 1930s, illustrates a period when independent businesses directly catered to motorists exploring the nation's expanding road network.
The complex, featuring Bert Koontz's Atlantic Gasoline station and "Rooms" for lodging alongside the Coffee Pot, reflects the nascent infrastructure for American road travel, positioned on U.S. Route 30. Established in 1926, U.S. 30 was a crucial transcontinental highway, driving the development of roadside amenities like fuel, food, and accommodation. This arrangement of services, dating to the early 1930s, illustrates a period when independent businesses directly catered to motorists exploring the nation's expanding road network.
