Oldest McDonald's restaurant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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McDonald's Restaurant #3
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The McDonald's in Downey, California is almost unchanged in appearance since it opened in 1953. Photo taken on 16th August 2024.
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| Location | 10207 Lakewood Blvd., Downey, California, United States |
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| Built | 1953 |
| Architectural style | Googie architecture Modern architecture |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003893 |
The oldest McDonald's restaurant that is still open today is a special place in Downey, California, United States. It's a drive-up hamburger stand located at 10207 Lakewood Boulevard at Florence Avenue. This McDonald's opened on August 18, 1953. It was actually the third McDonald's ever built, but it's the oldest one still serving customers. It was also the second McDonald's restaurant to be sold as a franchise by the original founders, Richard and Maurice McDonald. This happened before Ray Kroc joined the company. The restaurant still looks almost exactly like it did when it first opened, with its famous Golden Arches. It's a popular spot for tourists in Downey. In 1984, it was considered important enough to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, but the owner at the time didn't want it listed.
The very first McDonald's restaurant was in San Bernardino, California. That spot is now home to a different restaurant. There is also an unofficial museum nearby.
Contents
History of the Oldest McDonald's
How the Downey McDonald's Started
The first owners of the Downey, California McDonald's were Roger Williams and Bud Landon. Roger Williams was the brother-in-law of Neil Fox. Neil Fox was the very first person to open a McDonald's franchise.
Williams and Fox both worked for a company called Occidental Petroleum. They used their knowledge of finding good spots for gas stations to pick the location for this McDonald's. The McDonald brothers had a rule for all their franchise owners. Everyone had to use the same building design. This design was created by an architect named Stanley Clark Meston.
Images for kids
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The sign outside the Downey McDonald's in 2014
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A view of the inside of the Downey McDonald's
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Another view from the outside of the Downey McDonald's in 2014, with the museum to the right
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The Downey McDonald's in 2017
See also
- List of hamburger restaurants
- McDonald's No. 1 Store Museum
