In November 2012, a giant coffee cup appeared above downtown Milwaukee. Perched on a chimney stack just below Highway 794 on 5th Street, the Stone Creek Coffee cup is more sculpture than sign, and it has been catching the attention of motorists ever since.
Sign Effectz built it. Fourteen years of Wisconsin sun, wind, and winters later, we were back on the rooftop to give it the refresh a landmark deserves.
Built to last, then proven over time
When Stone Creek came to us with the concept, the first job was figuring out how to make an 8′ diameter cup that could live outdoors for the long haul. Working with their engineer, we developed a CAD model and designed an aluminum structure: ribs rotated around an aluminum tube spine, tied together with aluminum strip stringers.
The skin is where the experimentation came in. We laminated structural fibers with a bonding resin, much like the hull of a boat, using Fibre Glast materials. That approach gave us the strength we needed and a surface built to handle what the weather throws at it.
The refresh: prep, precision, and a rooftop lift
Even a well-built sign needs care over time. Our team went back up to restore the cup’s finish.
Surface prep came first. Before anything new went on, the crew cleaned and prepped the cup’s curved surface by hand from a lift. Then came the details everyone sees: the bold black band with the Stone Creek Coffee name and the flowing leaf and berry artwork. Getting that artwork crisp across a compound curve takes patience and a steady hand.
Connor Gillette and John Dolan handled the onsite work, from prep through the final touches. Working at height beside one of the city’s busiest interchanges isn’t a place for shortcuts, and it shows in the finished cup.
Why it matters
A one of a kind sign like this succeeds on three levels: solving problems early, estimating honestly, and testing materials before committing. Those same habits are why the cup has held its place on the Milwaukee skyline for 14 years. That’s Getting Signage Right: the care we put into the build is the same care we bring back years later.
Planning a custom sign or sculpture, or thinking about refreshing one that has been up for a while? Talk to Your Sign Guys about getting it right.
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