Downey's McDonald's store, opened on August 18, 1953, by Roger Williams and Burdette "Bud" Landon, is the oldest existing and oldest operating McDonald's hamburger stand in the world. It was the third stand franchised by Richard and Maurice McDonald, who founded the chain in 1948. Its neon arches and red and white tile became an icon of California car culture in the 1950s, and the towering neon chef, "Speedee," was McDonald's first mascot, symbolizing fast, efficient service. When it opened, hamburgers cost 15 cents and french fries 12 cents. Ray Kroc, then a Multimixer milkshake machine salesman and later founder of McDonald's Corporation, visited the building in 1954 to prepare for construction of his first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois, which opened in 1955. Kroc later bought out the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million, but this location was the only McDonald's never affiliated with McDonald's Corporation until it became part of the system in 1990. "Speedee" was replaced by a new logo in 1961, and Ronald McDonald was created in 1963, with Willard Scott as the first Ronald McDonald. After damage from the Northridge Earthquake forced the store to close in 1994, it reopened on December 15, 1996, with a museum and gift shop, and on July 1, 1998, ownership passed from McDonald's Corporation to Lakewood resident and owner-operator Ron Piazza.
