"Main Street, California" - a random idea I had for DCA's entry plaza

[animagusurreal]

1950's Anaheim "Main Street" (the land wouldn't be called "Main Street", I just mean that it would be DCA's equivelant of Main Street).

As you enter the DCA, you pass through a small "orange grove" (don't ask me what happens to the Golden Gate Bridge or the mountain mural ) into a 1950's Californian small town street. It doesn't have to actually look exactly like Anaheim looked in 1955, but instead capture more of a general Southern Californian 1950's small town feel. There would be 50's cars, 50's music, a malt shop, all that kind of thing. (And yes, I remember "Blast to the Past" at DL). You could have a "newsboy" hawking a "local paper" with a story about that "ammusement park" Mr. Disney is building nearby. I don't want to get too far into immitating DL, but at the end of the street could be something fantasy-oriented and unexpected - as with the castle at the end of Main Street, except something distinctly Californian - that would somehow transition you into the other lands. (No idea what this would be.)

I know there's probably not as much room in the Sunshine Plaza as there is for Main Street in DL, but it doesn't have to be a long street, just a little town square or something.


I don't think they'll actually do this, it's just an idea I had .

[nemofinder22]

I like that idea! a lot the 50's seem to have a lot you can play off of.

[Tom Chaney]

I like your ideas! I believe that Disney has, however, decided to theme the entrance plaza in DCA to the 1920's... the era Walt first came to Hollywood.

The 20's theme will be fun and will certainly fit with the "turn-of-the-century" theming of Disneyland across the way.

I do like the notion of a 50's feel to part of DCA. It was an interesting era and (as a child of that time) I would like to re-visit it.

[PragmaticIdealist]

In these threads, I presented ways in which guests would enter the California park in 1923 and exit the place in 1955:

Replacement for the Main Street Cinema
Idea for DCA Hub: Disney's Hyperion Studios

I, additionally, was interested in taking the Dominguez residence from backstage and moving it to the Bountiful Valley orange groves. The house is the only structure that is original to the property, and the historic building has the potential to lend greater authenticity to the California park.

[DisneyIPresume]

If you notice the banners around the resort, Anaheim is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. Happy Birthday Anaheim!

I like the idea, but I don't know why it should really be set in the 1950's. If you look at old pictures of Anaheim from the late 1800's - early 1900's there were a lot of lovely old buildings. Unfortunately, Anaheim demolished many of these structures for newer ones and those nice old buildings are no longer around.

I like your idea but I think them designing a plaza similar to the old buildings around the Orange Traffic Circle would be more appropriate and more accurate to what a downtown in Anaheim would have looked like at the turn of the 20th century.

Just some thoughts...

[Mtsplash]

Yea 1950s anehiem! they could have an orange grove and!!!! Disneyland!!!!.................................... .Oh wait never mind

[Coheteboy]

1950's Anaheim would be a lot of cows too. Anybody have some pics of Anaheim in the 1950? I need a visual reference.

[Nor Cal Tinkfan]

If not Anaheim...maybe model it after "downtown" Orange minus the Traffic Circle from Hell.

[DisneyIPresume]

Actually there is a link between the Old Town Orange and Disney. Old Town Orange served as the town at the beginning of the movie That Thing You Do, and later in that film, Disneyland itself is featured rather prominently. Just a coinicidence I thought I would like to point out...

[Nor Cal Tinkfan]

True. I forgot about that. A friend of mine was an extra and I loved seeing Old Town on screen. Hmmm....

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

I wish everyone entered on a dock, and there was a giant boat, like the Mark Twain, that took you from the entrance down a canal to the back of the park.

[filmfreak11]

Nice idea!

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

And all the parades would be water based, going down the canal. Then, I'd have a section with waves and rocks celebrating the Pacific Ocean, out in the Timon lot. The rocks would form some kind of berm, to hide the Anaheim Convention Center and nearby hotels.

PS Nemo Subs would have been great in a new DCA Pacific Coast area.

[CaitlinMcFly]

I, additionally, was interested in taking the Dominguez residence from backstage and moving it to the Bountiful Valley orange groves.

What residence is this? I am curious about it now.

[horizonsfan92]

I think that the original idea is great.

I've got to go a little off-topic: The Dominguez residence was demolished back in 1966 for the Primeval World Diorama and new administrative buildings. Most of the space it took up is now used by Space Mountain. Sorry, just had to correct the info.