One Of The Last McDonald’s With A Single Arch Shutters After 60 Years
A huge chunk of McDonald’s branding history is going down in a Mc-flurry.
Back in the 1950s, the fast-food brand enlisted Los Angeles architect Stanley Clark Meston and his assistant Charles Fish to work on an eye-catching roadside design to grab the attention of drivers and their families, as founder Richard McDonald thought the existing roofs were too flat. What arose were tapered metal parabolas splashed in a head-turning gold, the BBC reported.
The franchises back in the day only looked half as striking as the ones today, though—truly. They were distinguished by single arches, instead of the ‘M’-shaped signs now recognized the world over.
Old school McDonald’s logo here in Belleville, Illinois. Lovin it. pic.twitter.com/PIQb42fPIi
— Dan Buffa (@buffa82) January 29, 2021
Some of the early restaurants were flanked by one arch on each side, but it was only about a decade later that both semi-circles connected to form the famous Golden Arches.
Alas, one of the only restaurants standing that honored the original architecture served its last customers on March 31.
After 62 years our McDonald’s is closing down because no one wants to work anymore. It was our city’s very first McDonald’s and the original single golden arch was kept after a major remodel years ago. We even had the old school playground outside we’d hang out at after school. pic.twitter.com/EhpjNUpmjY
— IrishGypsy 🇺🇸☘ï¸ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡ªðŸ€ðŸ‡ðŸ‡º (@hungrish69) April 7, 2023
The location in Belleville, Illinois, opened in 1961 and had its single arch installed the year after.
It was one of half a dozen McDonald’s outfits in the world to keep the vintage fixture while the others moved on to the ‘M’.
The Belleville News-Democrat, which first reported the news, said the reason for the shutdown was unspecified.
However, the closure is a sign of the times, with 1,400 stores spanning companies expected to close in the US this year.
[via LADbible, Mashed, Mail Online, images via various sources]
