The “ Golden Arches” are still there , but the building itself is a thing of the past , as the 40-yearold McDonald’s restaurant on Talcottville Road undergoes a transformation from what many remember as a traditional fast-food restaurant .

“ There’s a national campaign for Mc-Donald’s to put in what they call a ‘ Chicago-style’ building for most McDonald’s nationwide , ” said Jeff Jones , project manager for PAL Construction of Coventry , which is serving as the general contractor for the project . He noted this yearalone , 28 buildings in the New England region have , or will have , new buildings , including Enfield , Meriden , and Springfield .

“ They [ the public ] associate McDonald’s with what they would commonly perceive as a ‘ traditional’ McDonald’s , ” Jones said . “ Over the next few years, they’ll associate it with the new exterior . ”

The building style , officially called “ Forever Young , ” is a combination of brick and split-face concrete block and the eifis system , or stucco effect . Money will also be spent on awnings , architectural elements and decorative uplighting .

The restaurant’s interior , including colors and materials used , is at the discretion of the franchise owner , in this case , Walsh Enterprises , Inc ., which also owns stores in East Hartford , Manchester , Stafford Springs , Rockville and Ellington . Those decisions have not yetbeen made , Jones said .

But one decision has been made .

“ We’re going to have the ‘ McCafe , ” said Tim Walsh , one of four owner / operators for Walsh Enterprises . “ It’ll be the first one in our organization . ”

Other Walsh-owned stores will follow suit in the fall with McCafe , where customers can order an espresso or latte .

The new building will be five-feet further away from the road than the former building , but it will be narrower and longer than that of the former store . That last facility , Jones said , was more of a square footprint . This building will be 45 feet x 92 feet . The restaurant will also have a side-by-side drive-thru layout , with two menu boards and two “ Customer Order Displays . ”

The design is not like the Ellington store , the newest of the Walsh-owned restaurants .

“ It was just prior to the new style and design of building , ” Jones said . His company , PAL Construction , owned by Wes Laramee , built the Ellington store . “ Even the colors were more muted to suit the community , ” he said , and noted that the Walshes worked with Planning and Zoning Commission regulations to build the store . The same holds true in Vernon .

“ I think that’s a reflection of how they do business , ” Jones said . “ They want to provide a new store for the community and maximize efficiency to the customer . ”

Jones , a Walsh representative and Adam Guilmette , project manager for McDonald’s Corp ., have been meeting weekly concerning the construction of the new building .

As for the Talcottville employees , most have been relocated to other Walsh-owned McDonald’s .

The anticipated opening is planned for mid-June , Jones said , most likely the weekend of June 13-15 , possibly with a soft-opening prior to the grand opening .

“ It’s a very tight schedule , ” said Jones , as far as construction is concerned to meet that deadline .

For now , if you’recraving a Big Mac , the sign on the “ Golden Arches” directs hungry passersby elsewhere .

“ We’re hoping they travel two miles down the road to Deming Street or one of the other locations , ” Jones said .