Phoenix hosted the first McDonald's restaurant to feature the Golden Arches.
Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the arches in 1952 for a McDonald's restaurant planned in Phoenix, Arizona. The structure used two large yellow arches at opposite sides of the building, making the restaurant visible from the road and giving the brand a distinctive architectural signature.
The Phoenix restaurant opened in 1953 under franchisee Neil Fox. The arches were initially part of the building's design rather than a standalone logo. Their later transformation into the familiar “M” symbol helped turn a roadside architectural feature into one of the world's most recognizable corporate marks.
A common mix-up is San Bernardino, California, because Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their original restaurant there in 1940. Des Plaines, Illinois, is also important: Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald's franchise there in 1955. Neither city hosted the first restaurant with the Golden Arches.