Everything you've always wanted to know about Main Street...

profscottraynor

profscottraynor

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I've spent the last two months gathering and researching info about the design, details, secrets, easily missed items about Main Street USA in Walt Disney World. I wanted it to be something for the real Disney fan... I'm a art and design professor at a small liberal arts college and I have always wanted to research and document the various lands of the parks.

I wanted something that I could pull up on my phone and stroll through my favorite part of the park and really try to take it all in.

I've posted up Part I. Take a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.itats.org/walt-disney-world-design-field-guide-main-street-usa/

Part II is coming soon and it will focus on each of the specific shops and buildings.

Enjoy!
Main Street Cover.jpg
 
LAKid53

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Wow! I've done the Keys to the Kingdom Tour and thought we'd learned everything about Main Street from our guide. But you've provided so much more about the design concept. Never thought about the importance of that popcorn stand as you enter Town Square. I love Main Street. The sights, the smells and at night, it is Magic.

Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
 
LAKid53

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
profscottraynor said:
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Click to expand...

You are most welcome.

Interesting that part of the inspiration for Main Street was Fort Collins. A town I will be moving to in a few years to spend my retirement. Both my parents were Colorado natives and my mother's family are Colorado State alums. She bucked tradition and went to Boulder, where she met my dad. So in a sense, I'm going home. To a town I didn't realize will remind me of Disney. :)
 
profscottraynor

profscottraynor

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
LAKid53 said:
You are most welcome.

Interesting that part of the inspiration for Main Street was Fort Collins. A town I will be moving to in a few years to spend my retirement. Both my parents were Colorado natives and my mother's family are Colorado State alums. She bucked tradition and went to Boulder, where she met my dad. So in a sense, I'm going home. To a town I didn't realize will remind me of Disney. :)
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Fort Collins is a great "town". I went there a few years back when I was hiking/exploring Colorado with my cousin. Now...if we could only see Fort Collins in 1904...then it would really feel like Main Street USA.
 
G

GrammieBee

Well-Known Member
Thank you! We have always enjoyed the architecture of and the attention to details on Main Street. While enjoying the overall impactof the scene, there are details you mention that we have missed. We will be sure and look for them on our next visit.
 
180º

180º

Well-Known Member
That's a wonderful and thorough article! Delightful.
A couple of things:
• Your explanation of the inspiration for MSUSA is fantastic.
• The plaques above the entry tunnels didn't exist until a couple decades after WDW opened, as the transition from reality to fantasy was designed quite a bit differently than at Disneyland. But for a field guide I suppose it's only fair to include them.
• Nice breakdown of the architectural styles.
• All except two (I think) of the concept art you posted is for Disneyland Paris' 1920s Main Street.
• The example you give for one of the "four corners" on Center Street isn't actually one of them. It's the Emporium façade facing Town Square. (Looking back now, it looks like you also labeled a construction photo of Roy in Town Square as the four corners, so maybe we're at odds about the location of the four corners. At least you're consistent! ;) )
• I was under the impression that Exposition Hall, not the Confectionary or City Hall, was the only building at full scale.
• Well done on the forced perspective! You pretty much nailed it.

Bonus note on the forced perspective (Those in better knowledge, please correct me): Lots of people mistakenly believe that the buildings become shorter and closer together nearer to the castle. I haven't measured the heights of the different ends, but I know that the street certainly does not become narrower. However, to my understanding, MSUSA at WDW is at a slight, slight incline. Most likely a practical function to further elevate you to other areas (Fantasyland is higher still) and drain water effectively, though it does create a bit of a perspective trick, making the castle appear farther away than the train station would looking back. I actually didn't believe this for a while. Take a look here: http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2013_10_01_archive.html?m=1

Wow! That was a lot of rambling and nitpicking. But as for your article, once again, delightful stuff. You've got some other great ones on there as well!
 
profscottraynor

profscottraynor

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hey thanks so much. I will go back and make some of the corrections.

The real reason I'm writing these is that I've always wanted something for me to have as a reference on my own walks down MS. And something that really gets into the nitty gritty details.
 
profscottraynor

profscottraynor

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
LynnB said:
I've been lurking on this forum for years, and I finally bothered to get a login just so I could tell you how ABSOLUTELY AWESOME this is! I love Disney history and architecture, and your site is full of both. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I look forward to the next installment.
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Hi Lynn,

I'm truly flattered at your post. I appreciate your kind words! This just made my day.
 

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