McDonald’s Museum in Chicago (Chicago, USA) – expositions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.
You can criticize fast food in general and McDonald’s in particular as much as you like, but it is impossible not to admit that this is really a cult company that has spread its influence around the world over several decades. You don’t have to be a fan of golden French fries sticks or nibbling bubbles of legendary Coca-Cola to head to Chicago’s McDonald’s Museum. Even if you yourself can only eat green salad leaves from the whole hamburger and can’t stand the appearance of Ronald McDonald, you will certainly be curious to see the places where the American success story that created its own food cult was born. The McDonald’s Museum is located in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, Cook County. It took the place of the very first restaurant of the chain, built in 1955 and demolished 30 years later,
The reconstructed building of the McDonald’s restaurant demonstrates a distinctive design, easily recognizable even half a century later: giant golden arcs, a facade lined with red and white tiles.
It is worth noting that this is not the first restaurant of the McDonald brothers, but it was from him that the history of the franchise began – establishments that follow strictly specified network standards. This historic innovation was invented by Ray Kroc, who bought a share in the capital of the family company from the brothers and renamed it McDonald’s Corporation. See citypopulationreview for state facts, symbols and history of Rhode Island.
More about the exposition
The reconstructed building of the restaurant demonstrates a characteristic design that is easily recognizable even half a century later: giant golden arches, a facade lined with red and white tiles. But the Speedee logo, under which the network developed for the first decade, is now forgotten, and later the image of the clown Ronald was patented instead. Beneath the logo is an incorrigibly dated “We’ve sold over a million hamburgers” ad.
The exposition itself is located on several floors. The first showcases frying conveyors for non-stop food preparation, multi-mixers for the famous milkshakes, vending machines with different types of soda water, and smart machines are controlled by a friendly crew of male mannequins dressed in 1950s uniforms. The basement housed a collection of vintage advertising booklets, posters and announcements, photographs and video clips related to the history of the McDonald’s restaurant chain. All workshops and workplaces of the museum are available to museum visitors, and those who wish can feel like an employee behind the counter. It is interesting that in those days the restaurant did not even have tables and chairs, and customers took all orders with them.
On the other side of the road, you can visit not a museum, but a real modern McDonald’s. The interiors and decoration of the restaurant of the 21st century have been supplemented with exhibits from an institution half a century ago.
Useful information
Address: Chicago, Des Plaines, Lee street, N. 400.
Phone: +1 (847) 297 50-22.
Free admission.
Opening hours: Thursday – Saturday: 10:00 – 14:30 (only in the spring and summer period).
Before visiting, it is advisable to contact the museum staff in order to book your visit.
How to get there: the distance from Chicago to Des Plaines is 35 km, by car the trip takes 40 minutes. It takes a little less than an hour to travel by Metra trains, for this you need to leave the Chicago OTC station on the Union Pacific / Northwest (UP-NW) line, and from the station in Des Plaines, you will have to walk 500 m towards the museum.
Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago Cultural Center (Chicago, USA) — expositions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.
In the commercial area of the Chicago Loop, at the intersection of Washington Street and Michigan Avenue, a spectacular neoclassical building with Renaissance elements rises. This is the famous Chicago Cultural Center – one of the most popular attractions of the city and the most important center of cultural leisure for residents and tourists. Occupying an entire block, the building has two entrances, as well as two domes with colored stained-glass windows above each of them. The austere appearance of the center is given by Bedford limestone cladding and rows of huge dark windows separated by columns. The Chicago Cultural Center traces its history back to 1897, five years earlier the building was designed by architects from Boston as a public library. The land was donated by the Grand Republican Army Foundation, and the plan included the construction of a memorial in the northern wing dedicated to the troops of the northerners, participating in the civil war. The construction cost two million dollars, but the result is still amazing: the center is a real temple of culture.
Dozens of exciting programs, interesting art exhibitions (including free ones), and festivals take place every day within the walls of the Chicago Cultural Center.
The initial purpose of the center was not only the placement of the city library, but official receptions of diplomats, members of royal families and all kinds of meetings at the highest level were held here. In 1947, all the areas were occupied by the library, 30 years later the building began to function as a center of culture and art, and in 1991 the book stocks finally moved to a new building outside the Chicago Loop, in the Harold Washington Library Center. The Chicago Cultural Center was the first national public center of its kind in the United States.
Things to do
Dozens of exciting programs, interesting art exhibitions (including free ones), and festivals take place every day within the walls of the Chicago Cultural Center. So, during the World Music Festival or the Chicago Jazz Festival, the center building turns into an amazing art object filled with the sounds of wonderful music.
Galleries on the first, second and fourth floors are reserved for art expositions; works of local and foreign painters are exhibited here.
A separate exhibition is devoted to “naive art”, represented by paintings by artists with various developmental disabilities.
The huge Preston Bradley Hall, lined with snow-white marble, is distinguished by luxurious acoustics, and its main highlight is a huge glass dome, consisting of 30 thousand multi-colored pieces of glass. This is the world’s largest stained glass dome designed by Tiffany. The Bradley Hall hosts musical and choreographic events, live music concerts and colorful performances. The famous dome, mother-of-pearl mosaics, Carrara marble cladding perfectly fit into the overall tone of the events held in the center and create a unique backdrop for them.
For information about upcoming exhibitions, cultural events, and other city events, you can contact the Chicago Visitor Center, located on the ground floor.
Useful information
Address: Chicago, Washington st, 78e.
Phone: +1 (312) 744-66-30.
Email: [email protected].
Opening hours: Monday – Thursday: 9:00 – 19:00, Friday: 9:00 – 18:00, Saturday: 10:00 – 18:00, holidays: 10:00 – 16:00.
How to get there: There are several bus and train stops near the Chicago Cultural Center: Randolph St South Shore line, Millenium Station, Michigan & Washington, and the Randolph/Wabash subway station.
