Stanley Meston designed the McDonald’s restaurant building that introduced the first architectural Golden Arches in 1953. Meston worked with sign designer Charles Fish to create the recognizable roadside structure.
The design placed a yellow arch on each side of the building. The arches were intended to attract drivers’ attention and make the restaurant visible from a distance, not initially to serve as a corporate logo.
Stanley Meston is sometimes confused with Jim Schindler. Meston designed the building and its architectural arches; Schindler later combined the arches into the logo form associated with McDonald’s branding.
The Phoenix building demonstrated how architecture could function as advertising. Its bold silhouette helped McDonald’s establish a consistent visual identity before the company’s national expansion under Ray Kroc.