#SaveTacoBell

Taco Bell was recently moved off the original site in Downey, California and moved to the Taco Bell corporate office in Irvine, California.  It is now awaiting a new home.  Thanks to Andrew's Rancho , We are the Next and Taco Bell Corporation and all who helped save the original Taco Bell.

Beginning this January, Seafood Tacos Raul, the former occupant of the 1st Taco Bell building at 7112 Firestone Blvd, has relocated. This means that the first home of the fast-food chain opened by hand-constructed by founder Glen Bell in 1962 is without a plan for its future.

Without intervention, the Taco Bell building will be demolished. The owners of the property, however, have been very understanding to the historic value of the building. On Tuesday, 4 days before this post, the Downey Conservancy sent a press release to the Downey Patriot concerning the matter. Following a publication covering the story, LAist, Curbed: LA,Longbeachize, KTLA Channel 5 News, and others jumped on the story!

The last week has been a whirlwind of support, with Taco Bell's corporate headquarters in Irvine jumping in to provide encouraging words and start the hashtag #savetacobell to get their attention on social media sites.

The Downey Conservancy's crew is working with other local groups to explore the potential relocation of the depot. If a new home (and owner) is found for the site, it might be able to be saved! If you have an idea for where it can be moved to or if you are interested in purchasing the building, please comment on this post or contact the organization through facebook. If you're interesting supporting the Downey Conservancy's efforts in this fight and other local preservation issues, please consider providing a tax-deductible donation by clicking here.

In the meantime, we'll keep fighting and keeping our active supporters clued in to what's coming next.