The replica of Ray Kroc‘s McDonald’s #1 is gone.  After issues with flooding and maintenance, the McDonald’s corporation closed the museum for good and tore it down.  The fast food giant will be planting grass and donating the lot to be converted into a park.  The building resided there in its 1950s-vintage glory for 32 years.

The McDonald Brothers first opened their California location and astonished many with its quick service, including Ray Kroc.  A salesperson at the time, Kroc saw opportunity in building this brand and franchising it all over the midwest.  He started in Des Plaines and eventually grew the business into a world-wide phenomena.