Who designed the two original architectural arches used in early McDonald’s restaurants?

Architect Stanley Clark Meston designed the two original architectural arches used in early McDonald’s restaurants.

Meston worked with assistant Charles Fish to develop the distinctive building design for Richard and Maurice McDonald’s restaurant concept. The arches were large yellow structural and visual elements placed at the sides of the building, making the restaurants recognizable from the road. Their bright color and unusual shape helped the outlets stand out in the growing roadside commercial landscape.

The original arches were part of the restaurant architecture rather than a standalone letter-shaped logo. In 1962, McDonald’s combined the visual idea of the arches into the familiar “M” mark used as corporate branding.

Ray Kroc later expanded McDonald’s nationally, but he did not design the original arches. Jim Schindler is associated with the later logo development, making him a common but incorrect answer to this architectural question.