Downey highlight
Historic site of the first McDonald’s franchise
The world's oldest operating McDonald's restaurant, opened in 1953 with distinctive Googie-style architecture, preserved and restored by community advocates and reopened in 1996.
The McDonald's on Lakewood Boulevard at Florence Avenue opened in 1953, designed by architect Stanley Clark Meston to showcase the McDonald brothers' Speedee Service System. Its striking design features two thirty-foot-high parabolic arches outlined in neon, with the original glass walls allowing customers to watch the kitchen operations. The golden Speedee sign has become one of Downey's most recognizable symbols.
After corporate McDonald's closed the location in 1994, the LA Conservancy recognized it as historically significant and led advocacy efforts that saved it from demolition. The company ultimately decided to restore the restaurant, and it reopened in December 1996 as the world's oldest surviving McDonald's still operating in its original form. Today, visitors can dine at the working restaurant, tour a museum dedicated to the McDonald brothers' original San Bernardino stand, and browse the gift shop.
A landmark that has served families for seventy years is a testament to the staying power of good decisions and proper maintenance. Life insurance serves a similar purpose: a decision made early, maintained through the working years, and kept in place for the people who depend on you. A term policy sized to your household's real needs is how most families ensure their plans outlast the uncertainties.