McDonald’s installed its first pair of Golden Arches in Phoenix in 1953.
The arches were created as part of a new restaurant design developed for McDonald’s expanding business. Architect Stanley Clark Meston worked with the company on a building featuring large yellow arches at the sides. When viewed from an angle, the two structures visually combined into an “M,” helping create a memorable roadside identity.
The first arches were installed at a McDonald’s restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. They were initially architectural features rather than the standalone corporate logo commonly associated with McDonald’s today. Their visibility from the road helped distinguish the restaurant in an era when roadside signs and building silhouettes were especially important.
San Bernardino is often mentioned in McDonald’s origin stories because it was home to the brothers’ original restaurant. Des Plaines is associated with Ray Kroc’s first franchise. Neither city was the location of the first pair of Golden Arches.