Why should we save the original Taco Bell? Because it is a seminal moment in the history of American architecture. There are nearly 6,000 Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S., and they all descended from that original Downey, Calif., location. Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s remembers those mission-style buildings, and we are the generation that must stand up for our history and #SaveTacoBell. Image by author. The original location at 7112 Firestone Blvd was opened by founder Glen Bell in March 1962 as a walk-up counter, like many early fast-food joints, including the first McDonald's. The Downey Taco Bell closed and became the independent Seafood and Tacos Raul, which closed in December. The building was fenced off, and is now under threat of demolition, but the Downey Conservancy hopes to save it or move it to another location in the city. Image above via The Downey Patriot Taco Bell morphed from the original arched walk-up location into an archetypal mission-style building with a slanted roof and three arches. This became stucco-fied in the 90s, with several iterations evolving alongside the logo and colors of the brand, until finally, ...
Why should we save the original Taco Bell? Because it is a seminal moment in the history of American architecture. There are nearly 6,000 Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S., and they all descended from that original Downey, Calif., location. Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s remembers those mission-style buildings, and we are the generation that must stand up for our history and #SaveTacoBell. Image by author. The original location at 7112 Firestone Blvd was opened by founder Glen Bell in March 1962 as a walk-up counter, like many early fast-food joints, including the first McDonald's. The Downey Taco Bell closed and became the independent Seafood and Tacos Raul, which closed in December. The building was fenced off, and is now under threat of demolition, but the Downey Conservancy hopes to save it or move it to another location in the city. Image above via The Downey Patriot Taco Bell morphed from the original arched walk-up location into an archetypal mission-style building with a slanted roof and three arches. This became stucco-fied in the 90s, with several iterations evolving alongside the logo and colors of the brand, until finally, ...