Off Wazata Boulevard: A one-lane MacDonalds Morning.

Wayzata MacDonalds

“The original prototype for McDonald’s drive-in hamburger stands featuring the full-scale golden arches and red-and-white tile walls was a major influence on roadside strips throughout the United States from its introduction in 1953 to its phased elimination in the 1970s and 1980s.”
From American Architecture.



I was driving through Apple Valley, MN and saw an archityepal MacDonalds. A reconstruction, no doubt. It is a beautiful piece of early 60s commercial architecture. Cheesy around the edges with a little bit of Koleco built in. Kind of like “Cootie” drive in. Today’s MacDonald’s are polished and uniformly corporate.