McDonald's Golden Arches

The Golden Arches were first incorporated into McDonald's restaurant buildings in 1953 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as part of a standardized franchise design. They became the official corporate logo in 1968 when McDonald's unified its branding under Ray Kroc's expansion.

The architect Stanley Clark Meston was hired by Richard McDonald in 1953 to design the standardized McDonald's building, which featured two large golden arches slanted through the roofline. The arches were originally structural elements meant to catch the eye of passing drivers on American highways.

Yes, a McDonald's restaurant in Downey, California, opened in 1953, still features the original physical golden arches and is one of the oldest operating McDonald's locations in the world. A handful of other preserved or retro-fitted locations also retain the classic arch architecture.

Originally the two side-by-side arches on the building formed the shape of the letter M for McDonald's, but they were also designed as a roadside attention-getter for the emerging American car culture of the 1950s. Ray Kroc recognized their branding power and adopted the simplified M logo when the physical arches were phased out of new building designs.