East End no longer good to the last drop

Houston's neon Maxwell House cup has dripped its last good drop, according to the Chronicle. The sign, an East End icon, was recently removed at the command of Kraft Foods, which sold the coffee- and rice-processing facility to Maximus Coffee Group late last year, said Leo Vasquez, an executive vice president with the new owner. According to Vasquez, Kraft saw it as trademark infringement since they no longer owned the plant, but the new owners fought to keep it.

Many East End residents and other Houstonians alike were disappointed at Kraft's decision. The sign, which was visible from downtown, was a Houston landmark. There is no word yet on what might go up in place of the coffee cup, but Ralph Garcia, who lives a few blocks away, has his own ideas:

I definitely think the new owners should put up their own sign. I don't care if it's futuristic. Otherwise, that building isn't nothing but a big — well, there ain't much to it. ... But that sign. Now I'd call it a piece of art.

Photo from flickr user baldheretic