- Some McDonald's locations are designed to be sympathetic with the surrounding town, like this restaurant in Freeport, Maine.
- Built inside a 150-year-old colonial mansion, this McDonald's is not your average location.
- Inside, visitors can find classy furnishings, fireplaces, and, some years, seasonal lobster rolls.
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"Fancy" and "McDonald's" usually don't belong in the same sentence.
This McDonald's location, however, was built inside a preexisting, 150-year-old colonial mansion.
Located in Freeport, a small seaside town in Maine, the building was converted into the town's only McDonald's in 1984. It's still the only McDonald's in the town.
Take a look inside this unique McDonald's location.
SEE ALSO: 30 photos of the weirdest and most unique McDonald's restaurants in the world
The McDonald's location is in Freeport, a small seaside town in Maine.
It's only a few blocks from L.L. Bean's headquarters, an outlet mall, and luxury stores like Polo Ralph Lauren and Burberry.
In 1984, the historic Gore House was converted into Freeport's only McDonald's.
William Gore, a prominent Freeport merchant, built the mansion in 1850, according to the New York Times and The Freeport Historical Society.
The town of Freeport has strict building design codes, and McDonald's wanted to build a location in a residential zone.
Initially, Freeport's 6,200 residents were pretty evenly divided about the McDonald's construction.
However, McDonald's was eventually granted a permit to remodel the Gore House.
Freeport allowed its construction, but only if the restaurant retained the town's aesthetic.
"What we are doing there is something we probably have never done before in terms of design and the amount of time and effort involved," said Stephen Leroy, manager of McDonald's media relations, in 1984.
''We are willing to spend the money to make it compatible with the area, the history, the community, and the people who live there," he told the New York Times.
The house is undeniably beautiful, featuring classic wooden shutters and a front stoop.
Inside, it looks like a McDonald's but still retains that classic New England style.
Furnishings include carved wooden chairs and mahogany booths. The restaurant also features fireplaces and decorations around the holidays.
The corporation built a drive-thru on the building's side, too.
The drive-thru is just one example of how the restaurant mixes modern and colonial elements.
The McDonald's is known to serve lobster rolls in the summer, but the menu item isn't always available every year.
"The lobster roll was very good, better than some we have had on our trip that were twice as expensive,"Tripadvisor user Jim S wrote in a review in 2015.
It's not the only McDonald's in the US without golden arches or a modern design.
Colonial-style McDonald's locations can also be found in New Hyde Park, New York, and Independence, Ohio.
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