Downey McDonald’s May Sizzle Again

Negotiations over the nation’s oldest surviving McDonald’s hamburger stand have Downey leaders hopeful that the eatery may reopen soon and that its 60-foot-high sign of Speedee the chef once again will trot and wink in animated neon.

“I feel really optimistic,� said Downey Mayor Joyce Lawrence. “We’ve been having some productive discussions.�

The talks involve representatives of Downey City Hall, the McDonald’s restaurant chain, the Los Angeles Conservancy and auto parts retailer Pep Boys. After McDonald’s Corp. closed the restaurant in January 1994 and allowed its lease to expire, control of the site reverted to Pep Boys, which owns the land.

Some people view the 1953 building as disposable kitsch. Yet a passionate local preservation campaign gained steam when the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1994 declared the Downey McDonald’s “an authentic icon of contemporary American life� and one of the country’s 11 most endangered landmarks.

Strikingly colorful with its exterior of red-and-white-tiles and two yellow arches that pierce the roof, the McDonald’s at Lakewood Boulevard and Florence Avenue was designed to catch the eye of motorists. It still succeeds in doing that, although windows and doors are boarded with plywood. The 20 outdoor stools are open to diners who want a side dish of nostalgia with food from other restaurants.

At the closing, McDonald’s Corp. cited earthquake damage to the facility that lacked indoor seating and a drive-up window. The company planned to move the sign of Speedee (the corporate logo in the age before Ronald) atop the soaring gold arch and other features to a new facility it was to build in Downey. That set off a series of protests by preservationists and delaying tactics by the city. Gov. Pete Wilson also urged that the building be saved.

Participants say the current talks focus on restoration of the hamburger stand and the Speedee sign at the original site as well as the construction of an annex in the parking lot with modern bathrooms, enclosed dining and a drive-up window.

Kevin Mazzu, McDonald’s senior marketing manager for the Los Angeles region, said the company is discussing the original McDonald’s as well as the possibility of opening new restaurants elsewhere in town. “Until things are finalized, it is all speculative at this point,� Mazzu said Thursday.

Linda Dishman, executive director of the Los Angeles Conservancy, said she was pleased by the discussions but declined to reveal details. Other than the ongoing dispute over St. Vibiana’s Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, the fate of the Downey McDonald’s has triggered the most public reaction of any issue her organization has tackled in recent years, she said. An estimated 10,000 people have signed petitions to save the fast-food eatery.

Lawrence began dining at the McDonald’s when she was in high school in the late ‘50s and said she still loves the place. She said the small amount of graffiti and vandalism at the boarded-up restaurant may show that “most people respect it and are afraid to touch it.�