Moments in Fast Food Urbanism: First Taco Bell may be demolished

2015-01-15T19:20:00-05:00

The building that housed the world’s first Taco Bell is under “imminent threat of demolition,” according to the Downey Conservancy [...] Although Downey is more famously recognized as the site of the oldest operating location for [McDonald's], it is Taco Bell that built its very first location within the city. [...] “The [Conservancy] recognizes that the building’s current location may not be the best for its future and, as such, is also looking at opportunities to relocate"

Why does this matter? Not because Taco Bell is inherently newsworthy, but because fast food spots are arguably Downey's local urbanism icons. The city in southeast Los Angeles County is known for its Googie fast-food joints, historic McDonald's and drive-ins (as well as the birthplace of the Apollo space program) – so the Taco Bell is in good company. While not as iconic as a Googie structure, the Taco Bell is still emblematic of Downey's postwar California urban planning, awash in asphalt oceans where cars were king. Perhaps the chain's success in peddling drive-in fast food around the world may actually have perpetuated that kind of urbanism.

The building is currently vacant, leading Downey Conservancy to take up the preservation case, planning to possibly relocate it to “another site within the city”. Taco Bell has even joined the cause, despite not even being the building’s most recent tenant, with the hashtag #SaveTacoBell. I wonder if Alexandra Lange is tracking this.

Meanwhile,...

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Moments in Fast Food Urbanism: First Taco Bell may be demolished