Main Street, U.S.A.

Main Street, U.S.A.
Theme	Early 20th Century Marceline, Missouri, Fort Collins, Colorado and Classical Hollywood cinema
Disneyland, Anaheim, California
Status	Operating
Opened	July 17, 1955
Magic Kingdom, Bay Lake, Florida
Status	Operating
Opened	October 1, 1971
Tokyo Disneyland, Urayasu, Chiba
Status	Operating
Opened	April 15, 1983
Disneyland Park (Paris), Marne-la-Vallée, France
Status	Operating
Opened	April 12, 1992
Hong Kong Disneyland, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Status	Operating
Opened	September 12, 2005
Shanghai Disneyland Park, Pudong, Shanghai
Status	Operating
Opened	June 16, 2016

Main Street, U.S.A. is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many 'Disneyland'-style parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, U.S.A. is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20th Century. In Tokyo Disneyland, it is called World Bazaar and covered by a glass Victorian-style conservatory roof to shield guests from the weather there. At Shanghai Disneyland, it is called Mickey Avenue and is orientated to help introduce visitors to Disney characters.^[1]

Each Main Street, U.S.A. (except in Tokyo and Shanghai) has a train station along the park's respective Disney railroad above the entrance. The area closest to the entrance, usually just past the train station, is called Town Square.

At the other end of Main Street stands the park's centrally located castle (Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in California, Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant at Disneyland Park in Paris, Castle of Magical Dreams at Hong Kong Disneyland, Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disneyland). In most of the parks, the area in front of the castle is known as The Hub or Central Plaza, while Shanghai Disneyland has the Gardens of Imagination in place of a hub/central plaza. At the Hub/Central Plaza, one will find the entrances to most of the other lands at the parks.

Town Square is home to City Hall, in which the Guest Relations office is located. Further along Main Street, the names painted in the windows on Main Street serve as credits for some of the many people, Imagineers and others, who contributed in some way to the creation of Disneyland. Largely they appear as fictional businesses (gyms, realtors, dentists), and they often refer to a hobby or interest that the person honored. Ub Iwerks's window, for example, refers to his prowess with cameras.

Disneyland[]

Castle photo from Main Street at Disneyland.

A replica of Walt Disney's apartment at the Walt Disney Family Museum

Main Street at Disneyland in August 2018

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Main Street Vehicles
(Disneyland)

Legend

Sleeping Beauty Castle

Central Plaza

Car barn

(not open to public)

Main Street, U.S.A.

Steam train transfer

(via short walk inside park)

Inspired by Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri (as in the film Lady and the Tramp), Main Street, U.S.A. is designed to resemble the center of an idealized turn-of-the-20th-century (c. 1910) American town. According to Harper Goff, who worked on Main Street, U.S.A. with Walt, he showed Walt some photos of his childhood home of Fort Collins, Colorado. Walt liked the look, and so many of the features of the town were incorporated into Main Street, U.S.A.^[2] Another significant source of inspiration for the Main Street, U.S.A. concept came from the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, which Walt Disney visited twice in the 1940s.^[3]

Walt Disney said, "For those of us who remember the carefree time it recreates, Main Street will bring back happy memories. For younger visitors, it is an adventure in turning back the calendar to the days of their grandfather's youth." Above the firehouse in Town Square at Disneyland is Walt Disney's personal apartment, fully furnished but off-limits to the public. A lamp is kept burning in the front window as a tribute to his memory, except at Christmas where a small tannenbaum replaces the lamp. It is largely decorated for both Halloween and Christmas.

There is a 60-foot-tall (18 m) Christmas tree during Christmas Time, and there is a 16-foot-high (4.9 m) Mickey Mouse jack-o-lantern on Halloween Time, with additional pumpkin ears. In the circular hub in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle, the bronze "Partners" statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse is surrounded by smaller bronzes of familiar Disney characters, such as Donald Duck and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

The Main Street Opera House in Town Square is the oldest building in Disneyland. It formerly served as the park's lumber mill between 1955 and 1961. The cannons that are displayed in the center of the square were used by the French army during the 1800s, although they were never fired in battle. The gas lamps that line the street originally came from St. Louis and were bought for $.03 a pound.^[4]

Partners, sculpted by Blaine Gibson,^[5] was added in 1993. During the Halloween season, pumpkin busts for each themed land in the park, except Main Street, are seen around "Partners." It is listed as a real street in the Orange County Thomas Guide.

For Disneyland's 50th anniversary, on July 17, 2005, a first-story window on each Main Street was unveiled with a dedication to all the cast members (employees) who had worked for Disney throughout the years. The streets are paved with resilient asphalt, a type of asphalt containing rubber, to prevent aching of feet. In July 2015, Disneyland expanded their Main Street U.S.A. with a Main Street Arcade in honor of their 60th anniversary.

Attractions and entertainment[]

The Disney Gallery (2009–present)
Disneyland Railroad (1955–present)
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (1965–present)
Main Street Cinema (1955–present)
Main Street Vehicles (a 3 ft [914 mm] narrow gauge tramway with horse-drawn streetcars is part of this attraction^[6])
Mickey's Soundsational Parade
Main Street Arcade
Magic Happens
The Dapper Dans (1959–present)
The Disneyland Band
Halloween Screams (2009–present)
Disney's Celebrate America (2008–present)
Believe... In Holiday Magic (2000–present)

Former attractions and entertainment[]

Bandstand (1955–1962)
Horse Drawn Fire Wagon (1955–1960) (Now parked inside the Fire House on Main Street)
Main Street Shooting Gallery (1955–1962)
Firehouse Five Plus Two (1955–1971)
Horse Drawn Surrey (1955–1971)
Carefree Corner (1956–1985; 1988–1994)
Carnation Plaza Gardens (1956–2012)
Babes in Toyland Exhibit (1961–1963)
Legacy of Walt Disney (1970–1973)
The Walt Disney Story (1973–1975)
Disneyland Presents a Preview of Coming Attractions (1973–1989)
Gift-Giver Extraordinaire Machine (1985)
Dream Machine (1990)
Party Gras Parade (1990)
The World According to Goofy Parade (1992)
Aladdin's Royal Caravan Parade (1993)
The Lion King Celebration Parade (1994–1997)
Dalmatian Celebration (1996–1997)
Light Magic (1997)
Mulan Parade (1998 – October 1999)
Parade of the Stars (2000–2005)
Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams (2005–2008)
Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years (2005–2009)
Celebrate! – A Street Party (2009–2010)
Disney's Honorary VoluntEARS Cavalcade (2010)
Paint the Night (2015–2016)
Main Street Electrical Parade (1972–1996, 2017, 2019)
Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular (2018)
Mickey's Mix Magic (with fireworks) (2019)
Disneyland Forever (2015-2016, 2019)

Restaurants and refreshments[]

Carnation Café^[7]
Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor
Jolly Holiday Bakery
Main Street Market House (sponsored by Starbucks)
Plaza Inn (formerly the Red Wagon Inn)^[8]
Refreshment Corner

Former restaurants[]

American Egg House (1978–1983)
Blue Ribbon Bakery (1990–2012)
Carnation Ice Cream Parlor (1955–1997)
Hills Bros. Coffee House & Coffee Garden (1958–1976)
Main Street Cone Shop (2000–2014)
Maxwell House Coffee Shop (1955–1957)
Plaza Pavilion Restaurant (1955–1998)
Puffin Bakery (1955–1960)
Sunkist Citrus House (1960–1989)
Town Square Cafe (1976–1978; 1983–1992)

Shops[]

20th Century Music Company
Candy Kitchen
Candy Palace
China Closet
Crystal Arts
Crystal Palace
Disney Clothiers, Ltd.
Disneyana
Disney Showcase
Emporium
Main Street Magic Shop^[9]
Main Street Pin Shop
New Century Jewelry
Newsstand
Penny Arcade
Silhouette Studio^[10]

Former shops[]

Annual Pass Center (2005–2009)
Bank of America (1955–1992)
Bank of Main Street (1992–2005)
Candle Shop (1958–1975)
Card Corner (1985–1988)
Coin Shop (1957–1960)
Cole of California Swimsuits (1956–1957)
Ellen's Gift Shop (1955–1956)
Fine Tobacco (1955–1990)
Flower Mart (1957–1995)
GAF Photo Salon (1970–1984)
Gallen-Kamp Stores Co. (1955–1957)
Gibson Greeting Cards (1955–1959)
Glass Blower (1955–1966)
Grandma's Baby Shop (1955)
Great American Pastimes (1991–1999)
Hallmark Card Shop (1960–1985)
Hurricane Lamp Shop (1972–1976)
Intimate Apparel (1955–1956)
Jemrock Shop (1955–1957)
Jewelry Shop (1957–1986)
Jimmy Starr's Show Business Souvenirs (1956–1959)
Kodak Camera Center (1984–1994)
Mickey Mouse Club Headquarters Shop (1963–1964)
New Century Watches & Clocks (1972–2008)
Patented Pastimes (1990–1991)
Pen Shop (1955–1959)
Polaroid Camera Center (1955–1970)
Ruggles China & Glass Shop (1955–1964)
Story Book Shop (1955–1980)
Sunny-View Farms Jams & Jellies (1955–1957)
Town Square Realty (1955–1960)
Upjohn Pharmacy (1955–1970)
Watches & Clocks (1955–1971)
Wonderland Music (1960–1972)
Wurlitzer Music Hall (1955–1968)
Yale & Towne Lock Shop (1955–1964)
Western Printing Book Shop (1980–1995)

Magic Kingdom[]

Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade down Main Street, U.S.A.

Street Performers on Main Street, U.S.A.

Instead of being a replica of a small Midwestern American town, Main Street at Walt Disney World features some stylistic influences from around the country, such as New England and Missouri. This is most noticeable in the "four corners" area in the middle of Main Street where each of the four corner buildings represents a different architectural style. There is also no Opera House as there is at Disneyland; instead there is the Exposition Hall. Main Street is lined with shops selling merchandise and food.

The decor is early-20th-century small-town America, inspired by Walt Disney's childhood and the film Lady and the Tramp. City Hall contains the Guest Relations lobby where cast members provide information and assistance. A real working barber shop gives haircuts.^[11] The Emporium carries a wide variety of Disney souvenirs such as plush toys, collectible pins, and Mickey-ear hats. Tony's Town Square and the Plaza Restaurant are sit-down restaurants. Casey's Corner is at the end of Main Street and sells traditional American ball park fare including burgers and fries.

In the distance beyond the end of Main Street stands Cinderella Castle. Though only 189 feet (55m) tall, it benefits from a technique known as forced perspective. The second stories of all the buildings along Main Street are shorter than the first stories, and the third stories are even shorter than the second, and the top windows of the castle are much smaller than standard. The resulting visual effect is that the buildings appear to be larger and taller than they really are. Main Street is considered the "opening credits" for the Magic Kingdom. Visitors pass under the train station (the opening curtain), and then view the opening credits on the upper stories of the main street buildings.

Each window has a business name on it, such as "Seven Summits Expeditions, Frank G. Wells President"; each of these people has a connection to Disney. The windows/credits are ordered as they would be for a movie. In addition to the bronze "Partners Statue" of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of Cinderella Castle; there is also the "Sharing the Magic Statue" of Roy O. Disney sitting with Minnie Mouse near the park's entrance. Surrounding the "Partners Statue" at the central hub are several iconic Disney characters featured throughout the park. These include Minnie, Donald, Br'er Rabbit, Goofy, Chip and Dale, etc.