On the Skids: What’s the Plan for Numero Uno?
By Krista Nicholds
Orange County adopted a historic building in November 2015 when the very first Taco Bell was moved here from its original home in Downey to the company’s headquarters in Irvine.
The first Taco Bell, built in 1962 on Firestone Boulevard in Downey, CA. The parapet and bell were destroyed in a fire in the 1990s but the tiled porch roof, arches and stucco walls are still there.
The 400 square foot building was opened as a take-out counter by entrepreneur Glen Bell in 1962. It closed as a Taco Bell in the late 1980s, too small to accommodate a drive-thru which had become the norm in fast-food service. By the time the company rescued it it was at risk of being demolished.
“Numero Uno” is a wood frame structure with a stucco exterior and a bell gable on the main façade. The red tile roofed porch is clad in slump stone on the interior. The pared down Mission Revival design reflected the renewed interest in Spanish Colonial Revival styles in Southern California in the 1960s. Architectural historian Patricia A. Morton called the original Taco Bell design, “one of the most famous manifestations of postwar neo-SCR.”
The public watched with attention in 2015 as the building was loaded onto a flat-bed truck and transported at night through Downey, Norwalk, Cerritos, La Palma, Buena Park, Anaheim, Tustin and Orange to the company parking lot in Irvine. Taco Bell publicized the move with the social media handle #savetacobell. They said at the time they intended to restore the building and were considering different options for the building’s future purpose.
Current condition in the corporate carpark in Irvine, leaves the building vulnerable to the elements. Photograph courtesy of Alan Hess.
Crickets since then. The building still sits on its trailer propped up on skids, in the spot where it was placed over four years ago. A dark shrinkwrap material appears to partially protect it but the roof and some wall surface is exposed to the elements. The floor was removed and the interior has been open to the ground since the move. Taco Bell spokesperson, Matt Prince, says that the company still intends to restore the building and would like to place it permanently at their headquarters. Prince said they could move forward with the project now since the multi-year lease agreement with the building owner has been renewed.
Though it’s no longer in its original location, Numero Uno could convey its historic significance in a new setting with an accurate restoration or rehabilitation, giving it a second life and possibly nomination to the California Register. At the time of the move in 2015, the company tweeted, “This is arguably the most important restaurant in our company’s history.” We hope the current leadership at Taco Bell still feels that way. #savetacobell