1. History

2. Alternate versions

3. See also

4. References

The Golden Arches are the symbol of McDonald's, the global fast food restaurant chain. Originally, real arches were part of the restaurant design. They were incorporated into the chain's logo in 1962, which resembled a stylized restaurant, and in the current Golden Arches logo, introduced 1968, resembling an "M" for "McDonald's". They are widely regarded to be one of the most recognizable logos in the world.

History

In 1952, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald decided they needed a new building to house their hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, California. They wanted this building to have an entirely new design which would achieve two goals: even greater efficiency, and an eye-catching appearance. They interviewed at least four architects altogether, finally choosing Stanley Clark Meston, an architect practicing in nearby Fontana, in late 1952. The arches had a direct bearing on the interviewing process and their choice of Meston: the first architect they interviewed objected to the arches the brothers wanted; a second wanted to change the arches; a third, prominent Los Angeles architect Douglas Honnold, said that if the brothers were going to tell him what to do they would be better off doing it themselves.^[1]

Along with their practical knowledge, the brothers brought Meston a rough sketch of two half-circle arches drawn by Richard. The idea of an arch had struck Richard as a memorable shape to make their stand more visible. After considering one arch parallel to the front of the building, he had sketched two half-circles on either side of the stand.^[1] Meston, together with his assistant Charles Fish, responded with a design which included two {{convert|25|ft|adj=on}} yellow sheet-metal arches trimmed in neon, called "golden arches" even at the design stage. His design also included a third, smaller arch sign at the roadside with a pudgy character in a chef's hat, known as Speedee, striding across the top, trimmed in animated neon.

According to architectural historian Alan Hess, "Meston and Fish turned the crude half-circle suggested by Richard McDonald's sketch into a tapered, sophisticated parabola, with tense, springing lines conveying movement and energy."^[1] In the same article Hess added this footnote: "Who first suggested the parabola is unclear. Richard McDonald and George Dexter, the sign contractor who fabricated the first arches, recalled that Dexter came up with the idea and added them to the plans. Charles Fish, who did the working drawings and aided Meston in the design, attributes the idea to his familiarity with the form from a school project in which he used structural parabolas for a hangar. The form was one of many advanced engineering solutions, including folded plate roofs, that were in common currency."^[1]

The first franchised outlet bearing Meston's design opened in May 1953 in Phoenix, Arizona. Subsequent franchisees of the McDonald brothers were also required to use Meston's design, although Meston adapted the plans for each to the conditions and building codes of each site.^[1]

In 1962, seeking to upgrade its image, the company sought a new logo. Fred Turner sketched a stylized "V", but the company's head of engineering and design, Jim Schindler, extended the "V" into an "M" resembling a McDonald's store viewed from an angle, with a red isosceles trapezoid "roof" serving as background for lettering.^[2]

While {{cn span|date=February 2017|text=McDonald's dropped the physical arches from nearly all of its restaurants in the 1960s}}, the Golden Arches have remained in the logo, and as a commonly understood term for the company. This was partially due to Louis Cheskin's argument that the arches, which he likened to "mother McDonald's breasts", had "Freudian applications to the subconscious mind of the consumer and were great assets in marketing McDonald's food."^[3] In Canada, all McDonald's stores and commercials have a maple leaf in the middle of the Golden Arches.

Alan Hess summarized the arch's origin in Googie architecture and ultimate significance as follows:

The term "Golden Arches" is sometimes used as metonym, symbolizing capitalism or globalization in phrases such as the "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention", since McDonald's is one of the more prominent American corporations that have become global in their reach (along with Coca-Cola and Nike).

Alternate versions

The McDonald's arches in Sedona, Arizona were made turquoise when the yellow color had been deemed by government officials to be contrasting too much against the scenic red rock.^[4]

Some Mcdonald's signs only have one arch, such as the one at the Mcdonald's at 1035

E Main Street in Montrose, Colorado.

The Mcdonald's restaurant at 610 Del Monte Ave., Monterey, California, has black arches.^[5]

The restaurant at Champs-Elysées in Paris, France, includes a neon McDonald's sign with white arches. Also the new McDonald's in Bruges, Belgium, has the white arches.^[6]

See also

• McDonald's sign (Pine Bluff, Arkansas)

References

• The Palio
• The Palisades (Hudson River)
• The Palisades, WA, DC
• The Palisades (Washington, D.C.)
• The Pallbearer
• The Pallisades
• The Pall Mall Gazette
• The Palm
• The Palm Beach Story
• The Palmer House Hilton
• The Palm Islands
• The Palm, Jumeirah
• The Palm (restaurant)
• The Palms (hotel and casino)
• The Palms National Park
• The Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak
• The Palm World
• The Pamirs
• The Pampas
• The Pancakes
• The Pandora Directive
• The Pandoras
• The Panel (Australian TV series)
• The Panic Channel
• The Panic of 1907