Historic Child's Restaurant facade being torn down at 28th Street
Photo by Herman Yung
The renovation of the McDonald's at 28th Street and 6th Avenue came as a bit of a surprise. One day it was fully functioning and the next it was closed, boarded up, and already being torn apart. I've known for a long time now that this particular McDonald's was a bit special, not because of the off-color McDonald's flag that they flew above the restaurant, but because this location was housed inside a former Child's Restaurant building with the iconic Child's Restaurant seahorse motif intact. Ever since learning about the historic nature of this McDonald's back in 2009, I've always considered it a neighborhood gem that has transcended the changing nature of the area.
Well, that seahorse design is no more. Sadly, the construction crews doing the renovation have stripped the exterior of the building and it looks like that old Child's Restaurant design isn't coming back. As Jeremiah from Vanishing New York notes, this particular Child's location doesn't seem to be landmarked. Goodbye to the old past I suppose...