The first McDonald’s in Illinois was opened by Ray Kroc in Des Plaines , on Lee Street, on April 15, 1955.

Location details

  • The restaurant was located on Lee Street in Des Plaines, a northwest suburb of Chicago.
  • It was the first McDonald’s franchise Kroc opened, often referred to as “McDonald’s #1 Store,” even though it was the ninth McDonald’s overall.

What’s there now

  • The original Des Plaines building was eventually demolished, and a replica “#1 Store Museum” stood on the site for years before also being removed due to flooding and maintenance issues.
  • McDonald’s later donated the land to the city, and the company preserved some of the historical equipment and artifacts at its Chicago-area facilities.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.