Volo Auto Museum Pitches To Save McDonald's No.1 From Demolition

DES PLAINES, IL -- A private museum that’s in the business of preserving pop culture Americana has reached out to the McDonald’s Corporation in Oak Brook in an attempt to save the McDonald’s #1 Store Museum in Des Plaines, Ill. from the wrecking ball. Known as the "#1 Store," the museum is an exact replica of the first franchise built from the great founder Ray Kroc’s original blueprints. The Volo Auto Museum has launched a petition to save the iconic golden arches that rose over Des Plaines, and eventually the world, in 1955.

McDonald’s #1 Store’s impending demise has been burning up the Des Plaines People Memories Facebook group. Brian Grams, director of the Volo Auto Museum, wants to move McDonald’s #1 to the museum’s 35-acre site in Volo, Ill. McDonald's #1 is slated for demolition sometime in December.

“We’ve heard from a number of Des Plaines residents,” said Grams, whose grandfather started the museum in 1960. “Several people have suggested that we try to buy it.”

The museum at 400 Lee St. in Des Plaines has been in operation since 1984, when the first McDonald's owned by the founder Ray Kroc was torn down at that location. There used to be a tour of building, which included a mannequin in 1950s era McDonald's uniform mopping the basement. McDonald’s shut down the museum in 2008, shortly after Hurricane Ike fell apart over the Midwest and the area flooded. The museum is built on the restaurant’s exact footprint and includes the original golden arches and sign. After several more “100 year floods” at Des Plaines’ five corners, McDonald’s announced it would be demolishing old #1.

Technically the Des Plaines store was not the first McDonald’s, there were nine others in the western United States owned by Richard and Maurice “Mac” McDonald, who came up with the “Speedee Service System” of serving fast food in 30 seconds. Des Plaines, however, is is considered the first in the modern era when Kroc franchised it from the McDonald brothers, and, as depicted in the 2016 movie “The Founder,” notoriously ripped off the brothers of their name and intellectual property. Replica or not, the #1 McDonald’s Store has been a point of civic pride for Des Plaines residents since the first burger was sold there for 15-cents.

Grams wants to preserve the structure and bring it to the Volo Auto Museum, where it will stand proudly next to such other historic relics as the Rolls Royce that ferried Prince Diana around Chicago during her last visit in 1996, and the Bluesmobile from the 1982 movie “The Blues Brothers.” The museum also offers a camper exhibit, vintage kiddie amusement rides, scooters, old motorcycles, vintage jukeboxes, cars of the rich and famous, and old carnival fortune telling machines.

“We have a lot of 1950s pop memorabilia. Bringing the first McDonald’s here just seems to go hand in hand with our collection,” Grams said. “It’s not just a Des Plaines thing, it’s a world thing.”

Since Grams announced on the Volo Auto Museum’s Facebook page of his plan to save McDonald’s #1, he says he’s heard from people all over the world. The Volo Auto Museum is still trying to get through to McDonald’s global corporate headquarters to make them an offer.

“We just need to crack open the door of communication,” Grams said. “We don’t know what the structure is like, if the building can be reassembled. Whatever the options are, whether it’s the entirety or partial structure, rebuilding it isn’t a bad thing if we can get some of the artifacts like the original sign.”

The Volo Auto Museum has tried to preserve other treasures of Chicago’s pop culture history, such as the Berwyn Car Spindle, but Grams said it was rusted and presented too many safety issues. So far, over 7,000 people have voted a resounding yes on the online petition to saving the #1 Store and moving it 26 miles northwest to Volo. Grams is hoping that McDonald’s Corporate will hear the people’s voices.

“There’s been times in situations like this to think it can’t happen, that it’s against the odds,” Grams said. “We’re hoping we can make it happen by being heard.”

Full disclosure: This Patch editor grew up in Des Plaines and used to ride her bike to McDonald's #1 to buy french fries.

Photo by Patch Editor Lorraine Swanson