About
A true Americana tribute to the paper cup, this 68-foot-tall concrete statue of a paper cup is the largest in the world. Its location feels somewhat random as it currently sits at the entrance of a manufacturing warehouse business park in Riverside, California. However, this once was the location of the former Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation.
The Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation dates back to 1911, when it first started operating in New York. In 1951, the company moved its manufacturing to Springfield, Missouri, and built another large cup statue in front of its headquarters. The Riverside location opened in 1958.
After several company mergers and plant facility expansions and closures, this location finally shut down in 1997. but the mighty paper cup still stands, refusing to be disposed of like countless smaller cups that were created in the nearby factory. The big gulp of a cup statue is a fan favorite for those who pull off the 215 freeway to snap photos of a disposable cup that simply won’t be thrown away.
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Know Before You Go
Please note that there is no formal parking, and the statue is in a dirt area near the former paper cup facility on private property with an iron fence blocking you full access to touch the statue. It is an eight-minute drive from downtown Riverside, California.
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Published
February 6, 2024
Sources
- https://www.qchron.com/qboro/i_have_often_walked/lily-tulip-queens-maker-of-paper-cups/article_e9a85b2b-2d57-5e0a-ab66-769e74b8b8b6.html
- https://www.worldrecordacademy.org/2022/08/worlds-largest-paper-cup-sculpture-world-record-set-in-riverside-california-422349
- http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=421
- https://thelibrary.org/lochist/postcards/lily-tulip_cup_corporation.cfm
- https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/19970915/NEWS/309159994/sweetheart-to-close-calif-plant
