| Eateries |
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| MCDONALD'S |
| oldest surviving McDonald's Downey, CA |
former McDonald's Dallas, TX |
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| new McDonald's Ocean City, MD |
new McDonald's Haddon Heights, NJ |
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| new McDonald's Denver, CO |
new McDonald's Chicago, IL |
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| new McDonald's Columbus, OH |
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The brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald opened their first restaurant in 1948 in San Bernardino, CA, selling hot dogs and orange juice. When they became frustrated with getting good help, they eliminated car hop service and had people come to the window to get their food (what McDonald's called "self service"). This became the trend at other hot dog and hamburger stands. Many drive-ins were hurt by rowdy teenagers who spent little, hung out and scared off more mature consumers. Drive-in were replaced with the more profitable and efficient fast-food, family-style restaurants of today.
McDonald's opened the Downey location in 1953. The three previous McDonald's of similar design have been destroyed, making Downey's the oldest hamburger drive-in in the country and the earliest example of the Golden Arches, the red and white striped tile building, and the 60' tall Speedee the Chef neon sign (the original company mascot). The Dallas location was supposedly the first McDonald's built in TX. The Golden Arches are gone but the building is still there. This is also believed to be the first location built outside CA and the third of the entire chain. The building was used as part of a used car lot for years and is now home to Record's Barbecue. The building was nearly demolished in 1994 after severe damage in the Northridge earthquake. But largely through the efforts of the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee (Modcom), it was reopened by McDonald's in 1996. They left the building intact with its walkup windows and outdoor seating. Employees wear 1950s style uniforms with paper hats, white shirts and bolo ties. A separate building houses a museum, gift shop, and restrooms. For more on the Downey McDonald's, see these websites: 1 and 2. The McDonald's in Ocean City and Haddon Heights are examples of new retro creations based on the earliest building design like this one in Phoenix, AZ (now gone). The Denver location is a two-story from 2004, I believe. I'm not sure how I feel about these imitations. At least they have brought back Speedee in their signage. This Chicago location, aka the "Rock-N-Roll McDonald's", is absolutely huge. It was built in 2005 and the arches are 60' tall. There is a coffee and gelato bar on the second floor. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. The Columbus location has an abstracted arch retro look. I haven't seen another one like this. |
| McDonald's #1 Des Plaines, IL |
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In 1955, Ray Kroc bought out the McDonald’s brothers and named his first store in Des Plaines McDonald's #1. It was actually the ninth McDonald's. The building was remodeled several times and demolished in 1984. It was recreated from original blueprints, however, the Speedee sign is original. It no longer serves food (conveniently enough, there is a new McDonald's across the street). Instead, the building is used as the official McDonald's Corporation Museum.
Male mannequins wear the 1955 uniform (dark pants, white shirts, aprons and paper hats). The customer service and food preparation areas have original equipment that were used back when fresh potatoes were used, milkshakes were made with Multi-mixers, and the Coke and root beer were drawn from a barrel. The basement has historical photos, advertising, memorabilia, and a video presentation. For more about the Des Plaines location and Ray Kroc's "new" McDonald's, see these websites: 1 and 2. Today, there are over 25,000 McDonald's locations worldwide. For more on McDonald's history, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. |
| McDonald's sign [gone] Lebanon, IN |
McDonald's sign Muncie, IN |
McDonald's sign Holts Summit, MO |
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| McDonald's sign [moved] Huntsville, AL |
McDonald's sign Green Bay, WI |
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| McDonald's sign Lapeer, MI |
McDonald's sign Dearborn Heights, MI |
McDonald's sign San Bernardino, CA |
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This Lebanon sign was originally at a location in Lafayette, IN. It was saved and moved to this site in the mid-1990s. But by 2000, it was gone again.
This Muncie sign has been restored and has fully-functioning, animated neon. I believe this is the sign's original location and that it was restored again in 2006. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. This Holts Summit sign was originally located in nearby Jefferson City, MO. It was restored and installed on a huge pole at this modern location. The wording on the sign was changed to say "originally was" 15 cents and that the bottom part of the arch was chopped off. This Phoenix, AZ sign (now gone) shows an even earlier wording and script style at the bottom. The Huntsville sign was remarkably well-preserved and lit at night. The sign is from 1963, however, the building itself was replaced with a more modern one (and will be replaced again soon). A car crashed into the sign in 2007 and damaged it. In 2008, the sign was taken down and sent to the American Sign Museum. For more, see 1, 2, and 3. The old Green Bay sign is also lit at night and stands next to an updated building. For more, see this website. This Lapeer and Dearborn Heights signs are retro, modern creations. Note the compressed double arch behind Speedee. The Dearborn Heights location features a flashy building as well. It is known as the "50s McDonalds" which opened in 1988. For more, see this website. This San Bernardino sign is a modern creation. It is part of a Route 66 museum recognizing the birthplace of the first McDonald's. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell] |
| McDonald's sign [gone] Biloxi, MS |
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| The Biloxi McDonald's opened in 1962. Their sign survived Hurricane Camille in 1969 but the original building did not. In 2005, their sign was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina (bottom photos). It has since been replaced with a modern sign. [top photo ca. 1998 thanks Rich Kummerlowe] |
| McDonald's sign Topeka, KS |
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| This Speedee sign from 1961 was originally at the first McDonald's in Topeka (the second one in Kansas). In 1981, the restaurant building was replaced with a new one and the sign was donated to the Kansas State Historical Society. The colorful top part of the sign is displayed at the Kansas Museum of History. For more, see this website. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell] |
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More Speedee Signs:
somewhere in AZ Pomona, CA Ford Museum (Dearborn, MI) |
| McDonald's Lakeland, FL |
McDonald's [gone] Springfield, IL |
McDonald's Belleville, IL |
McDonald's Akron, OH |
McDonald's Joplin, MO |
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The Lakeland and Springfield McDonald's feature single arch signs with shields. The Springfield sign has since been replaced with a modern one. The Belleville sign appear to be the same minus the shields. I believe this type was made in the late 1950s/early 1960s. The Akron sign appears to have been updated somewhat.
The Joplin single arch shield sign appears to be a reproduction. The sign is single-sided and affixed to the front of the arch, without the white mid-section. |
| McDonald's Magnolia, NJ |
McDonald's Lancaster, PA |
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The Magnolia and Lancaster McDonald's are two other remaining examples of the single arch shield design. The Magnolia sign was about a mile away and moved here when that location closed.
Some other examples of this sign style: Winter Haven, FL, Independence, MO, and an early 1960s photo from Penn Hills, PA. |
| McDonald's Oklahoma City, OK |
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| This Oklahoma City McDonald's features an unusual building style and a car hop canopy (no longer in use). They had an old sign until recently but it was been replaced with a modern one. I'm not sure how old this Route 66 location is or if it is just a recent retro creation. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. |
| McDonald's Sedona, AZ |
McDonald's Springdale, AR |
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The Sedona McDonald's is from the early 1990s. In an effort to please the city planners of this picturesque town, this location was built in a Southwest style with teal-colored versions of the trademark golden arches.
The Springdale McDonald's features an airplane on the roof. The plane is piloted by the Hamburglar while Ronald McDonald stands on the tail section. The plane has been here since at least 1999. There are other aviation-theme items inside the restaurant which is located next to the Springdale Municipal Airport. For more, see this website. |
| McDonald's Albuquerque, NM |
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| The Albuquerque McDonald's was designed to complement the National Hispanic Cultural Center across the street. |
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