1950s Disneyland: Town Square

Today seems like a good day to relax in Disneyland’s Town Square, especially with some photos from the Park’s early years. In this 1956 image, chicken wire is still the standard for protecting the plants, and the Bekins Storage area features the unique architectural details that would later be removed.



Ugh. Who approved this change?



Back to happier times…a detailed view of a cast member cleaning up one of the A-Frame signs in the Square.



A few from March 8, 1956:



Who wants to be a Fireman? This could be your opportunity.



Note that City Hall at this time is for First Aid and Press Information:





Both these boys are doing their part to show support for Mickey Mouse!





Mabel Normand is at the Main Street Cinema and two Keystone Kops are getting ready to wow guests with some music as they cross the street.





Glad I wasn’t there that day; the Disneyland Railroad was temporarily closed!





Music stands are piled up in the Opera House alcove, awaiting the Disneyland Band to pull them out for a concert.



See…I don’t make this stuff up!



This was back when there was a Print Shop in Town Square; the Disneyland News is for sale in front of the window:



These two DANGEROUS gents are getting ready to attempt some mischief in Town Square, roughly 1955-56:



Be glad there was no ammo in the 19th century cannon. Walt was smart enough to have these sealed up before these screwballs arrived. Also note the chicken wire around the landscaping:



One of the goofballs thought it would be funny to have his buddy take a photo of him pretending to blow his head off with the rifle the Tobacco Wooden Indian was holding. I wonder if these kids survived into adulthood?



Moving ahead a few years to August 3, 1959:



Bekins is still there!



Thus ends our day in 1950s Town Square.

See more Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.

Main Street Model Monday, Part 1

In my collection I have this image of the model that Imagineers created when designing Main Street at Disneyland. So many interesting things to unpack here. Recently on ebay, a seller had listed some alternate shots of this model that also included attraction concept art posted on the walls. The below image was one of those images, which shows Walt’s original intention of having a bandstand in the middle of Town Square.



The below shots from 1957 give a visual of how it all turned out. The design of City Hall and the Fire Department pretty much turned out as originally planned.



As you can see here though, the bandstand was replaced by a flag pole.



In the construction shot below, you can see Walt surveying his kingdom, with the unfinished bandstand in the background at right.



By May 1955, it had been located in its original destination, Town Square.



Still there in this aerial shot. So what happened to it? Apparently Walt realized the structure blocked the view of the Castle at the end of Main Street and decided he needed to open up the visual pathway. The bandstand was relocated to the side of Central Plaza.



The most recent shot I have of this area is from December 2015. The trees do a great job of obstructing the buildings, although I don’t think they are the original ones planted in 1955. Any horticulture experts out there?



See more Disneyland Main Street, U.S.A. photos at my main website.

Disneyland in 3D: June 26, 1966, Pt. 1

For Daveland, June 26, 1966 was a WONDERFUL evening! In my collection, I have a series of 3D slides shot at night of the Park. Of course, I will attempt to stretch these out over two posts. When I digitally combine the left and right slides, I get a slightly wider view for most of these:



By this point, the Main Street Train Station has 50,000,000 listed as the guest count. I love seeing the people inside the station, too. It’s almost like being there.



As we enter the Park, we see that Mr. Lincoln is now playing. At this point, the show had been going on for about a year.



The combined view:



In the detailed view, you can see the interior of the Wonderland Music shop on the left, and inside the Opera House, there is a bust of Lincoln at the entrance.



Continuing up Main Street we see the Magic Shop and the Wurlitzer Music Hall:



The combined view:



A great view of the Wurlitzer display window, with the slogan, “The name that means music to millions.”



A view of Town Square shot from the Main Street Train Station:



The combined view:



If you notice that many of the people are blurred in these shots, that’s because an evening exposure would mean the shutter would have had to stay open longer.



On the other side of Town Square we see City Hall:



The combined view:



Do guests still just hang out at night and sit on benches? I’m guessing if they do, they are busy with their phones.



The Disneyland Fire Department:



Not much of a difference with the combined view other than better focus on the edges.



Since Walt was still alive at the time this was shot, the light in the window at night was not a standard thing to see.



Moving back up Main Street we encounter the Emporium:



The combined view:



I LOVE looking inside the windows! I’m so nosy! Note the photographer with a tripod on the left.



More to come!
 
See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.