McDonalds: Illinois chain museum will still be taken down

McDonald’s spokesman Khim Aday declined to say why there’s been a delay, but said the company still plans to remove the replica from the site. (Photo By Bruce Marlin – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5)

DES PLAINES, Ill. — McDonald’s officials have confirmed that they still intend to take down a replica of the hamburger chain’s first restaurant despite a demolition delay.

It’s been seven months since crews dismantled the sign outside the Des Plaines building, raising hopes that officials may have changed their minds, The Daily Herald reported.

McDonald’s spokesman Khim Aday declined to say why there’s been a delay, but said the company still plans to remove the replica from the site.

It’s also unknown why McDonald’s requested a refund for its $510 demolition permit and $5,000 insurance bond last month from Des Plaines. The contractor was issued the documents in January, when work began to disassemble sign.

City demolition permits are generally good for one year. McDonald’s would have to reapply and pay the new fees to continue its project, according to City Manager Mike Bartholomew.

“It’s sort of like starting over from scratch,” he said.

Bartholomew said company executives told him that they wouldn’t donate the site intact to protect the brand.

“It’s really something, given the public attention it got, I thought they would reach out to us and keep us in the loop,” Bartholomew said.

After demolition, McDonald’s plans to plant grass and donate the land to Des Plaines. City officials still don’t have immediate plans for the property.

Ray Kroc built his first restaurant in 1955 in Des Plaines, after franchising the brand from the original owners, Richard and Maurice McDonald. It served as a museum of the company’s history.

The Chicago Tribune reported last year that officials said they would take down the museum because tourist numbers had declined due to repeated flooding of the site since 2008.