Bank on it! Disney Gallery opens Friday, October 2 in former Bank of Main Street

[MasterGracey]

From the ArtofDisneyParks.com website:

Bank On It! The Disney Gallery will open Friday, October 2, 2009 in the former Bank of Main Street Building!

Like most, you've probably missed visiting The Disney Gallery on your recent trips to Disneyland® park. Well, good news! the hotspot for viewing original and one-of-a-kind Disney artwork and artifacts is ready to re-open in the fall at its new location - in the former Bank of Main Street, right next to the Disneyland® Opera House.

This new location offers roughly the same amount of area as the gallery's previous home above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction (which is now occupied by the Disneyland® Dream Suite). And, just as before, The Disney Gallery will be made up of three separate rooms - two exhibit rooms and a gift shop. "This will allow us to tell on continuous story, or three separate stories, as we used to in the former gallery," said Kim Irvine, Walt Disney Imagineering and Art Director for this project. She also told us that the unique qualities of the building have been incorporated into the gallery's theme: "We'll maintain the bank look and architecture and visually tell the story that this was an old bank that has been turned into an art gallery. Guests will still see remnants of the old bank influence - like the vault!" So be sure to stop in and visit this longtime favorite attraction and store in its new digs.

The first event at the new Disney Gallery:

The Disney Gallery - Product Release & Artist Signing
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009
Time: 9 AM to 11 AM
Location: The Disney Gallery, Main Street, U.S.A.

Event Information:

Join us as we celebrate the opening of The Disney Gallery in its new location on Main Street, U.S.A. with an array of Walt Disney Imagineers and Disney Inspired Artists, including Jim Crouch, Jody Daily, Jeremy Fulton, Kevin Kidney, Larry Nikolai, Maggie Parr, George Scribner, SHAG and Yakovetic. Commissioned artwork by these artists will on display and will be available as part of the product release & signing. The artist signing will take place from 9 AM to 11 AM on Saturday, October 10, 2009. Merchandise offerings and artwork shown below.

[The Disneylander]

Very cool. Looks like I'll be able to catch Ghost Galaxy and the Disney Gallery in one trip.

[MasterGracey]

This caught my eye:

And, just as before, The Disney Gallery will be made up of three separate rooms - two exhibit rooms and a gift shop.

This is wrong. The former gallery had THREE main exhibit rooms (Parlor room, Master Bedroom, and Formal Dining Room) and a gift shop in the wet bar room - that's FOUR rooms total in the old gallery. This isn't including the Royal Suite's entrance hall and the small hall space that led to the kids' room that were also used to display art.

[Ortizmo2000]

Always hated the fact that we lost the Gallery above POTC. I hope this new one does it justice. Will be checking it out this weekend.

[Mac Daddy]

I will probably drop by on Friday AM. I'm sure it will look nice, but I will always miss the Gallery above Pirates, which I used to frequent quite often. At least the artwork will have a new home.

[DonDuck]

Sigh... nothing will ever replace the old gallery. Hoping the new gallery is given some TLC.

[Dustysage]

I'm looking forward to having the Gallery back. However, I'll forever miss sitting on the veranda of the old Gallery looking down on New Orleans Square and the Rivers of America.

[DisneyFan28]

Guess ill check this out.
i didnt see the one ove the POTC ride

[ChessurInWonderland]

I'm kind of glad it moved. It was hard to tell where it was before, so it was often a skipped attraction. Now I hope people will appreciate the art behind the attractions more

[MainStreetJake]

It's good to have the Gallery back! ALthough I will really miss the old location. I always loved looking out over New Orleans Square. Guess Tarzan's Treehouse will have to suffice.....

[Aladdin]

Well, it will be a Disney Gallery, but it won't be nearly as unique, nor will it have the fantastic view that the ORIGINAL Gallery had. So many things will be missing from the New Orleans style duel curved stairs and rod iron railings, the more homey welcoming room, the interior outdoor patio, which could be reached from a number of rooms, all the nuances of what was planned as Walt Disney's 2nd Disneyland Apartment, but never fully realized.

It was the closest thing to Walt's 2nd floor apartment, that was available for ALL guests to visit on any trip to DL. And it was the ONLY place in New Orleans Square where an average joe schmoe could view New Orleans Square, from a 2nd floor balcony, which also provide the best seats in the house for Fantasmic viewing.

It was a sort of refuge in the midst of DL. And of course it was even better before Club 33 came in and hacked the "Dining Room" in half. There is no other place in DL that can hold the same charm as the Original Disney Gallery.

And it was for the sake of the 2nd part of a 2 plus year nonconsequetial promotion that That Original Disney Gallery was shuttered and ALL Regular Guests were banished to the lower level of NOS.

Disney STILL needs to OPEN the OLD Disney Gallery Location and make it available for ALL guests to visit, just as before.

[JerrodDRagon]

This location will help keep people coming back to the Gallery, I mean it old location was hard to get into (when it was crowded or because of Fantasmic)

[Coheteboy]

I'm kind of glad it moved. It was hard to tell where it was before, so it was often a skipped attraction. Now I hope people will appreciate the art behind the attractions more

That's what I loved about the original location! I could stand up there and say "look at those brainless fools milling about and not knowing what's up here. not even bothering to find out."

hahahaha okay that was a bit of snobbery right there but it was a fantastic way to get AWAY from the crowds. That was also why I loved the 2nd floor of the Starcade. It was just a nice way to get away.