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McDonald’s: Take a Tour of the Food Chain’s ‘Most Beautiful’ Restaurant, a 19th Century Mansion

Is it a McDonald’s, or is it a mansion? As it turns out, this home in Long Island is both.

According to Fox News, a 19th-century mansion in New Hyde Park, New York, has been turned into America’s most well-known fast-food joints. Insider recently named the mansion the “most beautiful” McDonald’s in the United States, and for a good reason. This ostentatious Mickey D’s comes with a double staircase, pristine hardwood floors, and its original entrance.

Per Insider’s reporting, the mansion was originally built in 1795 as a farmhouse for Joseph Denton. Later, in the 1860s, its owners converted it into a Georgian-style mansion, per Atlas Obscura. In the years following, the house was transformed as a funeral home and then several restaurants before claiming the title as one of America’s favorite burger spots.

Historical Home Gets McDonald’s Makeover

In 1986, the burger corporation bought the property for $1 million and planned to demolish the home so the company could build a Mcdonald’s that you would typically see today. However, the locals had other ideas. The town’s residents fought the company until 1988 when the home became a designated historic landmark.

Eventually, the company and the citizens came to an agreement. McDonald’s agreed to restore the building under the condition that they could put a Mcdonald’s drive-thru in the home. In 1991, the 1920s style McMansion opened to the public.

“When we took over this building, it was a disaster, a real eyesore,” said McDonald’s New York regional vice president at the time. “There were pigeons all over. We had to gut the building, take it down to the rafters.” Moreso, when it opened its doors 30 years ago, a food critic noted that the food tasted “exactly the same,” although customers were dining in luxury.

When McDonald’s took over, the only external change they made to the restaurant included painting the shutters black instead of the original green. Throughout the years, the restaurant also added self-order kiosks and digital menu boards.

In the beginning, the owner said that he wanted “to put tablecloths and little battery-operated candles on the tables on Friday and Saturday nights” so young people could use it as a place to go on dates.

Since the building maintains its historic landmark status, it means that McDonald’s can’t make significant changes to the property. So you won’t see the home with its iconic red tile roof or iconic golden arches anytime soon.