McDonald's first installed its Golden Arches at the Downey, California, restaurant in 1953.
Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the arches for Richard and Maurice McDonald's new restaurant building. They were originally physical architectural features on opposite sides of the structure, rather than a standalone logo. Seen from the road, the tall yellow forms helped the restaurant attract motorists.
The Downey location, commonly called the oldest surviving McDonald's restaurant, preserves the early architectural concept. The arches became increasingly important as McDonald's restaurants adopted a consistent visual identity across the United States and later around the world.
A common mix-up is to assume the arches began as the familiar single “M” logo. In fact, the original design involved two separate arches on the building. The corporate symbol evolved from that architecture into the paired-arch emblem recognized today.