McDonald’s fixtures still available to public
HOUGHTON — The historic local touches of Houghton’s McDonald’s removed as part of a recent remodel will still be available to the public.
Owner Brian Wilson donated the materials to area non-profits. Stained-glass windows went to the Keweenaw Community Foundation in Hancock and the Calumet Art Center. Lakenenland in Chocolay Township received a copper countertop, which artist Tom Lakenen converted to a replica of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The remodeling of the Houghton McDonald’s was directed by the corporation, which presented Wilson with a few select styles, said Houghton department head Matt Lantz.
Once Wilson learned the windows and countertop would be removed, he looked for ways to keep them in the area and available to the public, Lantz said.
“He did not want to sell it, even though he had a few offers over the past few years,” Lantz said. “He wanted to keep it in the community, because people have expressed how much they’ve enjoyed it.”
The pieces had been with McDonald’s since 1982, when it was on Shelden Avenue, said Karen Milszeski, president of the Calumet Arts Center board. Made by Lancet Glass, they came along when McDonald’s built its new restaurant in 2003.
The Calumet Art Center received two windows of the Quincy Mine, Milszeski said. They arrived a couple of weeks ago.
The center will make a stand to display the items upstairs, Milszeski said.
“It’s exciting, because it’s local history and it’s stained glass,” she said. “To have some more stained glass upstairs in the arts center is a wonderful opportunity, and we’re just thrilled to get those.”
42-inch stained glass windows and similar-sized copper pieces also went to the Keweenaw Community Foundation, which will be placed on display at its main office, said Executive Director Jim Vivian.
“They represent key components of our community,” he said. “It’s the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. It’s very near and dear to who our community is. It represents the mining industry. Lake Superior. They’re just beautiful.”
The copper countertop went to Lakenenland, a sculpture park owned by Tom Lakenen. Wilson, a friend of his wife, had reached out to see if he was interested in the copper.
Lakenen converted the countertop into a replica of the Edmund Fitzgerald, built to 1:52 scale. The recycling of materials is consistent with Lakenen’s aesthetic, which includes salvaged material from around the Upper Peninsula. The boat sits on a stainless-steel Lake Superior, made from a pulper from the paper mill in Munising. It is mounted on a plank from the ore dock in Marquette.
Lakenen is glad to be able to repurpose a piece of local history.
“That’s the whole reason I started the park,” he said. “I didn’t want to sell any sculptures. You sell it and someone hides it and it never comes back out again.”
In the weeks after the remodel, McDonald’s got about 20 customers a day asking where the windows had gone, Lantz said. It has since put signs up explaining the donations. Customers’ have been supportive of the move, Lantz said.
“This is one of the more unique stores you’d find when you traveled,” he said. “He wanted to make sure no matter what happened that this stayed local.”