How to Tell How Old a McDonald's Building Is, 1968-Up

Moderator: Groceteria

Post Reply
StoreLiker2006
Veteran
Posts: 209
Joined: 20 Nov 2006 18:59
Location: Oak Grove, Oregon
Contact:

How to Tell How Old a McDonald's Building Is, 1968-Up

Post by StoreLiker2006 »

Hi,

In the years after 1967 (at which point McD's had stopped using the Stanley Meston-designed architectures dating from the chain's true inception in the '50s), and when McDonald's was all set to unleash the current version of its famed "Golden Arches" logo, could anyone please tell me how to distinguish a 1970s/'80s McD's from that of a '90s McD's by way of pictures of these? Mansard roofs were the way to go in '68.

I know McD's changed from cedar-shingled shake roofs to red at some point late in the '90s.

The first McD's with a drive-thru window showed up in Sierra Vista, AZ on January 24, 1975.

In the late '70s, some McD's buildings had the McDonald's name with the Golden Arches replacing the normal "M" in the name, seen either on the front of the roof or on the sides.

Thank you,



Ben
wnetmacman
Veteran
Posts: 378
Joined: 06 Nov 2005 23:48

Re: How to Tell How Old a McDonald's Building Is, 1968-Up

Post by wnetmacman »

StoreLiker2006 wrote:I know McD's changed from cedar-shingled shake roofs to red at some point late in the '90s.
The shake shingles actually disappeared in the 70's in favor of some clay shingles, which were supplanted by the metal roofing in the 80's.
StoreLiker2006 wrote:Mansard roofs were the way to go in '68.
And they stayed around until about 2-4 years ago. 40 year run for a building design isn't bad.
StoreLiker2006 wrote:In the late '70s, some McD's buildings had the McDonald's name with the Golden Arches replacing the normal "M" in the name, seen either on the front of the roof or on the sides.
This actually still shows up from time to time. Some franchisees use the standard font M, while others use the logo M. It wasn't done by date. I know a 1998 build store that has one, and a 2002 build store that doesn't.
Scott Greer
StoreLiker2006
Veteran
Posts: 209
Joined: 20 Nov 2006 18:59
Location: Oak Grove, Oregon
Contact:

Re: How to Tell How Old a McDonald's Building Is, 1968-Up

Post by StoreLiker2006 »

wnetmacman wrote:
StoreLiker2006 wrote:I know McD's changed from cedar-shingled shake roofs to red at some point late in the '90s.
The shake shingles actually disappeared in the 70's in favor of some clay shingles, which were supplanted by the metal roofing in the 80's.
StoreLiker2006 wrote:Mansard roofs were the way to go in '68.
And they stayed around until about 2-4 years ago. 40 year run for a building design isn't bad.
StoreLiker2006 wrote:In the late '70s, some McD's buildings had the McDonald's name with the Golden Arches replacing the normal "M" in the name, seen either on the front of the roof or on the sides.
This actually still shows up from time to time. Some franchisees use the standard font M, while others use the logo M. It wasn't done by date. I know a 1998 build store that has one, and a 2002 build store that doesn't.
OK, from a post by "dirtyharry_callahan" on the Yahoo! Group page "Remembering Retail": he says some of the Stanley Meston-design McD's stores were, in fact, expanded and reworked into the then-current '70s-'80s architectures.

He said this:
This is an ex McDonalds, closed about 10 years, that started life as a circa-1963 "golden arches" building.

As you can see from the building, it has been de-identified, with a new mansard roof built over the old one. There is nothing special to distinguish this building from other small boxes of this size and shape. Inside, however, was a little awkward as the old bearing wall served as a firewall between the kitchen and eating areas. The bathrooms were also awkward, undersized compared to newbuild McDonalds.

Nevertheless, this example shows how you can disguise a "golden arches" building by building around it.
He gives me the location of 2837 Winchester Pike in Columbus, OH as an example - this location said to originally be a Speedee-era McD's reworked into an '80s-style McD's, closed in circa 2000.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=283 ... 01,,1,6.84

~Ben
Post Reply