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, in the early 2000s, the roof was blown off and the purple, teal, and tan scheme took over. Now, new Taco Bells are simply Scandi-National Park, with wood and stone cladding in a sleek profile.
Image via en.wikipedia.org
As for the building that started it all, the Conservancy said in a release that, “This community has shown, in cases such as Harvey’s (now, Bob’s Big Boy) Broiler and the oldest operating Mc Donald’s [sic], that these places matter.” Not only is the 1962 Taco Bell part of a historic legacy of Downey that includes some of the best Googie architecture in the world, but it also was the spark for the legacy of Taco Bell buildings.
Image via whotalking.com
Here is that evolution, which can be traced in any nearly any suburban town in America. Like all seminal art and architecture, it should be saved. Lobby Taco Bell to save it with #SaveTacoBell. Archinect and Alexandra Lange are already on the case. Can we get Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown on board?
Image via www.groceteria.com
Image via en.wikipedia.org
Image via tacoblogger.wordpress.com
Image via www.huffingtonpost.com