Who designed the McDonald’s restaurant building that first featured the Golden Arches?

Stanley Clark Meston designed the McDonald’s restaurant building that first featured the Golden Arches.

Meston was an architect who worked with the McDonald brothers on a new restaurant design in San Bernardino, California. The building used two large yellow arches positioned at the sides, creating a strong roadside image as well as a recognizable architectural identity.

The design reflected the McDonald brothers’ emphasis on speed, efficiency, and visibility. The restaurant was not conceived as a luxury dining room; its streamlined form and prominent signage supported the quick-service model that became central to McDonald’s branding.

Ray Kroc is often credited in popular memory with every important McDonald’s design decision, but Meston created the building associated with the original arches. The later logo evolved from this architectural idea rather than being identical to the first building itself.