Nothing stands out quite like a McDonald’s housed in a classic mansion.
(Photo by Jennifer Corr)
New Hyde Park’s McDonald’s is no ordinary fast food restaurant. It is housed inside the historic Denten House, which was built in 1795 as a farmhouse and then converted in the 1980s to a Georgian-style mansion.
But how exactly did it become a McDonald’s?
After World War 1, according to historical archives, the house became a funeral home and then a series of restaurants. As the property became dilapidated, McDonald’s acquired the parcel and planned to demolish it to build a standard McDonald’s, however, the Town of North Hempstead and residents of New Hyde Park successfully opposed those plans, getting the property historic designation. An agreement was reached with McDonald’s to allow a single story addition to the back for a drive-thru if the front of the building was restored to its 1926 appearance.
McDonald’s opened the historic building on April 13, 1991.
Today this McDonald’s is a destination in itself. Several tweets, TikToks and news articles can be found on this building.
