Auto museum may save McDonald’s museum from demolition

McDonalds museum (Ray Kroc’s first ( April 1955) franchised restaurant in the chain, similar in style to the McDonald brothers 1953 franchised restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona and Downey, California ), Des Plaines, Illinois, USA. (Photo By Bruce Marlin – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5)

VOLO, Ill.—There may be hope for the doomed replica of a historic McDonald’s hamburger restaurant after all.

Upon hearing that McDonald’s plans to demolish its museum in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines next month, the Volo Auto Museum in Lake County is exploring the possibility of picking up the entire structure and parking it at the auto museum.

The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald reports that the auto museum has reached out to the burger giant to save the replica of the first McDonald’s restaurant.

Ray Kroc opened it in Des Plaines in 1955 after he franchised the brand from the original owners, Richard and Maurice McDonald.

The auto museum in a Facebook post says it contacted McDonald’s Corp. after pleas from the community to move the McDonald’s museum to Volo.