Who designed the Golden Arches for McDonald's first major restaurant architecture?

Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the Golden Arches for McDonald's early restaurant buildings.

Meston worked with sign-maker George Dexter in developing the prominent arch shapes for the McDonald's restaurant opened in Downey, California, in 1953. The arches were part of the building's roadside architecture, designed to make the restaurant visible to passing motorists.

The arches later became much more than decorative structures. In 1962, McDonald's adapted them into the company logo, turning an architectural feature into one of the world's most recognizable corporate symbols. That later logo work is often incorrectly credited to Meston alone, even though the logo adaptation is associated with designer Jim Schindler.

Ray Kroc was responsible for expanding McDonald's through franchising, not for designing the arches. The distinction matters because the symbol's history combines restaurant architecture, sign design, and corporate branding.