Induron’s Perma-Gloss Preserves Stanton, IA’s Iconic Coffee Pot Water Tank

By: Kent Kuehl, Induron Sales Representative

Water towers in small towns are often local, and sometimes even iconic, landmarks. Stanton, Iowa happens to have two treasured water towers—a 40,000-gallon coffee pot tank and a 150,000-gallon coffee cup tank. You can’t have a pot without a cup, right? Well, that’s what the town of Stanton decided. 

In 1971, Stanton converted its water tank to resemble a Swedish-style coffee pot to honor its most famous citizen, Virginia Christine, and acknowledge its Swedish heritage. Christine had a long career as an actress, but to many—especially the residents of the small town of Stanton—she will always be known as Mrs. Olsen from the Folger’s Coffee commercials. For 21 years, Christine poured coffee and shared comforting advice to young married couples as “Mrs. Olsen” in television commercials for Folger’s Coffee. If that doesn’t ring any bells, check out the television ad below.

The “pot” of the water tank is 36 feet tall and 20 feet wide, the “spout” is 10 feet tall and 6 feet deep, and the handle is 15 feet tall. Though the tank can hold 640,000 cups of coffee, it wasn’t enough for the city’s water system needs. In 2000, Stanton paired the coffee pot tank with a new 150,000-gallon coffee cup-shaped water tank in order to adequately provide for the city’s needs.

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The beloved coffee pot-shaped water tank towered 125 feet over the town until last year. Because the necessary repairs to keep the tank in service were too expensive, the city of Stanton removed the tank from its perch and donated it to the Swedish Heritage & Cultural Center. However, the historical society was dedicated to preserving it as a piece of the town’s history, which is where Induron came in. To provide the grounded tank with a fresh coat of paint, K&W Coatings, a contractor based in Elkader, Iowa, turned to Induron to supply the appropriate products. K&W Coatings used DF67/6700/Perma-Gloss to recoat the tank just a few weeks ago, and it looks as good as new!

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