Which architect designed McDonald’s 1953 “Mansard Roof” restaurant design?

Stanley Clark Meston designed McDonald’s 1953 “Mansard Roof” restaurant design.

Meston developed the streamlined restaurant building associated with McDonald’s early postwar expansion. Its most memorable features were the two large yellow arches rising above the roofline, making the restaurant easy to identify from the road. The design helped turn architecture into a major part of McDonald’s branding.

The arches initially functioned as physical building elements rather than a standalone corporate logo. In 1962, McDonald’s converted the idea into the familiar Golden Arches symbol. This is why Meston is linked to the arches’ architectural origin, while Jim Schindler is linked to the later logo design.

The 1953 building replaced the McDonald brothers’ earlier red-and-white restaurant style and became a recognizable template for the company’s growing chain.