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Ray Kroc’s Original McDonald’s Flooded in Des Plaines, Illinois

Destructive weather systems in the Midwest and the rising waters of the Des Plaines River have left the McDonald’s Store Museum and its companion restaurant across the street submerged, WGN reports. The museum is actually a reconstruction of the original one that stood on the site until 1984, and while it was technically the ninth McDonald’s location overall, the corporation singles out the 400 North Lee outlet, which opened in April of 1955, in its present-day origin story because the Des Plaines, Illinois shop was the first to be franchised by Ray Kroc, who later bought the company. It sports the old-school single-arch Speedee road sign and is outfitted with original fifties kitchen equipment, apparently, as well as many mannequins dressed in period fast-food employee attire. There aren’t yet reports on damage, but you can check out some raw video of the flooding, straight ahead.

Raw: Original McDonalds in Des Plaines flooded [WGN TV]
Week From Hell Continues As Flooded Illinois Town Is Evacuated [Daily Intelligencer]

Ray Kroc’s Original McDonald’s Flooded in Des Plaines, Illinois