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McDonald's Buildings (page 2)

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McDonald's
Vinita, OK
This McDonald's occupies the former Glass House Restaurant which was built in 1957. The building spans I-44. In the 1970s, it housed a Howard Johnson's restaurant. I don't know when it became a McDonald's. These photos are from 2011. In 2013, the building was closed for renovations. It reopened in 2014. McDonald's is just one of the fast food restaurants inside now and the logo is gone from the building. The rocky facade and glass box on the right side of the building are also gone. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]

McDonald's [gone]
Oklahoma City, OK
This McDonald's featured a retro building simulating the company's early roof design. I believe this building was built in the early 1990s. There was also a car hop canopy when the top row of photos was taken in 2006. I don't know if this location actually featured car hop service. There was also a retro Speedee sign which disappeared around 2005. By 2011 (bottom photo above), the canopy was gone and the building had been repainted. By 2013, the building was completely rebuilt into a two-story box-style McDonald's. For more, see this website.

McDonald's [gone]
Tulsa, OK
This McDonald's featured the same retro style building and sign as the Oklahoma City location described above. The sign was lit at night. In 2012, the building was remodeled and the sign was replaced. For more, see this website.

More Vintage McDonald's Buildings
Phoenix, AZ [vintage, gone]
Arvada, CO [gone]
Lakewood, CO [former McDonald's or an imitator]
Campbell, MO [McDonald's imitator]
All American Burger: 1, 2 (Massapequa, NY) [map] [former McDonald's or an imitator]

Slo-Jack's Drive-in
Hampton Bays, NY
I believe the Slo-Jack's Drive-in was supposedly built as a Wetson's, a 1960s New York area, McDonald's imitator with about 70 locations. This restaurant opened around 1960 and offered car hop service. The mini golf next door supposedly opened at the same time and was owned by the restaurant. If this is true, that would make it the oldest remaining course in Long Island. This building's arches were outlined with neon and lit at night. By 2017, the arches were removed.

I believe that this building might actually have been built as a Joseph's Hamburgers like this one in Island Park, NY. Joseph's was another McDonald's copycat building but with rounded arches which were identical to the ones that were on the Hampton Bays building. Wetson's arches were completely different with circles. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

There is another, heavily remodeled, former Wetson's building in Jericho, NY. If you know of any other recognizable surviving Weston's or Joseph's locations, I'd love to hear from you.

former Chandler's Hamburgers
North Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL

2010:

2019:

former Chandler's Hamburgers
South Adams St.
Tallahassee, FL
former Chandler's Hamburgers
Quincy, FL

former Chandler's Hamburgers
Gainesville, FL
These former Chandler's Hamburgers buildings are another example of a McDonald's copycat design. While the roof and canted windows are close in style, these buildings do not have the built-in benches on the sides. They also have funky brick columns supporting the roof. There is also no boxy projection below the roofline that McDonald's buildings had.

This former Chandler's on North Monroe St. was built by 1963. In 2010, the building was housing a Budget car rental office. In 2016, that business closed and the building was vacant. By 2017, the building was housing an Enterprise car rental. For more, see this website. [map]

This former Chandler's on South Adams St. was built in 1962. The building has housed a loans and checking cashing business since at least 2009. [map]

This former Chandler's in Quincy was built in 1962. The building housed a Maryland Fried Chicken since around 2013. [map]

The former Chandler's in Gainesville was built in 1963. The building now houses a Metro PCS store. [map]

There is another former Chandler's building in Cocoa, FL which has been drastically remodeled.

You Sell Auto
Lakewood, CO
former Durango Burgers
Gardena, CA
You Sell Auto in Lakewood is housed in another copycat building. I don't know what business was here originally. [map]

This McDonald's copycat building in Gardena was built in 1961. It previously housed Durango Burgers but I don't know if that was the original occupant. The building has housed Mexican food restaurants since at least 2008. [map]

former Chuck Burgers
North Hollywood, CA
This former Chuck Burgers was built in 1961 as a McDonald's copycat design. The striped tiles on the back of the building were red and black. McDonald's only used red stripes. The building now houses the Lit Lounge & Cafe. The building and sign have been painted black. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Copycat McDonald's Chains and Buildings
Goody's
Hardee's
Henry's Hamburgers
Pot-O-Gold: 1, 2
former Casey's Drive-in (Elyria, OH)

McDonald's
Alameda Blvd. NW
Albuquerque, NM
McDonald's
Bridge Blvd. SW [gone]
Albuquerque, NM
These Albuquerque McDonald's buildings were designed in the Southwest style. By 2018, the Bridge Blvd. location had been remodeled as a dark gray, modern box. [Alameda Blvd. map]; [Bridge Blvd. map]

McDonald's
Sedona, AZ
McDonald's [gone]
Springdale, AR
The Southwest styled McDonald's in Sedona was built in the early 1990s. [map]

The McDonald's in Springdale featured an airplane on the roof. The plane was piloted by the Hamburglar while Ronald McDonald stood on the tail section. The plane had been there since at least 1999 but was removed in 2008. This location is located next to the Springdale Municipal Airport. For more, see this website.

McDonald's
Roswell, NM
This Roswell McDonald's was remodeled in 2005 to look like a spaceship. For more, see this website. [map]

McDonald's
Dearborn Heights, MI

2007:

2011:
This McDonald's was built as the "World Famous 50s McDonald's" in 1988. The interior had 1950s-style imagery and props. The unique building, which replaced an earlier building, cost $500,000. A neon sign was installed at the same time. Sometime after 2007, it was replaced with an all-plastic sign. Around 2017, the building was remodeled into a drab brown box. The interior was stripped of the 1950s theme. The sign remains. For more, see this website. [map]

McDonald's
Ocean City, MD
McDonald's
Mount Ephraim, NJ
McDonald's [gone]
Chicago, IL
McDonald's
Los Angeles, CA
McDonald's
Denver, CO
McDonald's
Aurora, CO
2012: 2023:
The McDonald's in Ocean City and Mount Ephraim are just two examples of the modern, retro creations based on the company's original building design. There are lots of these buildings around the county. Around 2020, the Ocean City building was repainted gray and brown. The red and white tile is gone. [Ocean City map]

In 2018, the Mount Ephraim building was repainted dark and light gray. [map]

This Chicago location, aka the Rock-N-Roll McDonald's, was enormous. It was built in 2005 and the arches were 60 feet tall. There was a coffee and gelato bar on the second floor. In 2017, it was announced that the building would be remodeled, inside and outside, and drop the Rock-N-Roll theme. The building was demolished and, in 2018, it reopened with a very modern box look.

This Los Angeles location is also modern and was built in 2001. The plastic pole sign was probably installed for an earlier building and may date to the 1970s or so. In 2016, the white building was painted gray and brown. [map]

The Denver location is also modern. The building was painted while with red stripes along the base until around 2017 when it was repainted dark gray. [map]

The Aurora location is a two-story built in or around 2004. Around 2018, the white paint and red tiles were gone and the building had been painted dark grey. [map]

McDonald's
Gahanna, OH
McDonald's
Upland, CA
These McDonald's locations in Gahanna and Upland are examples of the company's "Classic" double drive-thru buildings. No indoor seating was offered at these locations. These buildings were introduced in 1994. There are only three other still operating locations that I know of: Allen Park, MI, Columbus, OH, and Middleton, WI. Around 2019, the Upland building was repainted gray and replaced the sign on the building. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [Gahanna]; [Upland]

McDonald's Buildings
(page 1)
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