Buena Vista Street
Encyclopedia
Formerly known as Walt Disney Plaza, Buena Vista Street is a themed "land" at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort
. The central plaza represents Los Angeles
in the 1920s, when Walt Disney
first arrived in Los Angeles.
This land is similar to the layout and style of Main Street, USA at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure's sister park. This land includes dining, shopping, parades, and entertainment. A recreation of Pacific Electric's
iconic Red Car electric trolleys, akin to the ones featured in Who Framed Roger Rabbit
, will transport guests through this area, from the front of the park through to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
in Hollywoodland.
, which served to disguise a portion of the resort's monorail
track. Flanking both ends of the faux Golden Gate Bridge were two massive murals depicting the vast mountain ranges in California. A few metres into the park from the main gate was Sunshine Plaza that served as an access hub to all of the park's other themed lands. At the end of the path, there was a fountain featuring a large metal sunburst
designed to reflect solar rays into the surrounding area. Sunshine Plaza was also home to a replica of the California Zephyr
, which housed the plaza's two counter service restaurants: Baker's Field Bakery and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream. The plaza was also home to two of the park's biggest souvenir shops, Greetings from California and Engine Ears Toys.
The Golden Gate Bridge
replica has been removed and the sunburst structure will be replaced with a recreation of the Carthay Circle Theater, which showcased the world premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
in 1937. The building will serve as the new visual centerpiece of Disney California Adventure's reincarnation. In early August 2011, the California Zephyr
display was removed, with major portions being donated to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum
.
The park's main gate was extended outward to where the postcard letters formerly stood, and resemble the Pan-Pacific Auditorium
like the entrance at cousin park, Disney's Hollywood Studios
in Florida. The Red Car Trolley
will travel through the plaza. The main gate was opened on July 15, 2011. The construction of the Red Car trolleys began on January 10, 2010. Construction of Buena Vista Street itself began in October 2010 and is planned to open in Summer 2012. The main entrance will remain open with areas blocked off from time to time to aid in construction.
Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
. The central plaza represents Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the 1920s, when Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
first arrived in Los Angeles.
This land is similar to the layout and style of Main Street, USA at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure's sister park. This land includes dining, shopping, parades, and entertainment. A recreation of Pacific Electric's
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
iconic Red Car electric trolleys, akin to the ones featured in Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
, will transport guests through this area, from the front of the park through to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, more commonly known as Tower of Terror, is a drop tower thrill ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios , Disney California Adventure Park, Tokyo DisneySea and Walt Disney Studios Park . It is based upon the television show The Twilight Zone...
in Hollywoodland.
Sunshine Plaza
Disney California Adventure's original main gate entrance,Sunshine Plaza, was designed to evoke a sensation as if one were stepping into a California postcard. After guests pass the giant letters spelling out California, they would pass beneath a mock-up of the Golden Gate BridgeGolden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, which served to disguise a portion of the resort's monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
track. Flanking both ends of the faux Golden Gate Bridge were two massive murals depicting the vast mountain ranges in California. A few metres into the park from the main gate was Sunshine Plaza that served as an access hub to all of the park's other themed lands. At the end of the path, there was a fountain featuring a large metal sunburst
Sunburst
Sunburst is a type of finish for musical instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars and electric basses. At the center of a sunburst-finished surface is an area of lighter color that darkens gradually towards the edges before hitting a dark rim...
designed to reflect solar rays into the surrounding area. Sunshine Plaza was also home to a replica of the California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
, which housed the plaza's two counter service restaurants: Baker's Field Bakery and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream. The plaza was also home to two of the park's biggest souvenir shops, Greetings from California and Engine Ears Toys.
Re-imagineering and expansion
On October 17, 2007, The Walt Disney Company announced a multi-year, $1.1 billion expansion plan for Disney California Adventure Park. Included in this expansion plan is the retheme and complete overhaul of Sunshine Plaza into Buena Vista Street.The Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
replica has been removed and the sunburst structure will be replaced with a recreation of the Carthay Circle Theater, which showcased the world premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
in 1937. The building will serve as the new visual centerpiece of Disney California Adventure's reincarnation. In early August 2011, the California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
display was removed, with major portions being donated to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum
Western Pacific Railroad Museum
The Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California, formerly known as the Portola Railroad Museum before , is a heritage railroad that preserves and operates historic American railroad equipment. The museum's mission is to preserve the history of the Western Pacific Railroad and is...
.
The park's main gate was extended outward to where the postcard letters formerly stood, and resemble the Pan-Pacific Auditorium
Pan-Pacific Auditorium
The Pan-Pacific Auditorium was a landmark structure in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California which once stood at 7600 West Beverly Boulevard near the site of Gilmore Field, an early Los Angeles baseball venue predating Dodger Stadium...
like the entrance at cousin park, Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
in Florida. The Red Car Trolley
Red Car Trolley
The Red Car Trolley is an upcoming attraction at Disney's California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, set to open by 2012...
will travel through the plaza. The main gate was opened on July 15, 2011. The construction of the Red Car trolleys began on January 10, 2010. Construction of Buena Vista Street itself began in October 2010 and is planned to open in Summer 2012. The main entrance will remain open with areas blocked off from time to time to aid in construction.
Timeline of Transformation
- September 9: Removal of Plaza's "Sun Icon".
- September 13: Removal of entrance mosaic murals.
- November 3: Red Car Trolley construction begins
- November 15: Hollywood Pictures BacklotHollywood Pictures BacklotHollywood Pictures Backlot is a themed land at Disney California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The area is based as a backlot of a Hollywood studio and has attractions themed to this concept. Hollywood Pictures Backlot opened with the park in 2001...
sign removed. - November 18: Carthay Circle construction begins.
- January 4: Entrance turnstiles begin dismantling.
- May 29: Construction begins on temporary path into the park near Soarin' Over CaliforniaSoarin' Over CaliforniaSoarin' Over California is a simulator attraction at Disney California Adventure . It debuted with the park on February 8, 2001...
. - June 1: Sunshine Plaza access to Pacific Wharf closed.
- July 15: New Pan-Pacific turnstiles open to the public.
- July 20: Golden Gate Bridge begins dismantling.
- July 31: Construction begins on storefronts.
- August 29: Sunshine Plaza is completely closed off. Guests entering the park are sent on a detour behind the Soarin’ Over California attraction and emerge between it and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & SpaDisney's Grand Californian Hotel & SpaDisney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is a AAA Four Diamond Hotel located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Added as part of a major expansion of the Disneyland Resort in 2001, it is the resort's flagship hotel and is the first and only hotel there to have been originally built and...
. - September 14: The top is completed for the Carthay Theater.
- September 29: Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky CellarWalt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky CellarWalt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar opened October 20, 2008, replacing the old Seasons of the Vine Theater at Disney's California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California....
Opens Buena Vista Street Showcase
Future Additions
| Attractions | Restaurants | Storefronts |
|---|---|---|
| Red Car Trolley | Mortimer's Market | Julius Katz & Sons Appliances and More |
| Clarabelle's Ice Cream Parlor | Julius Katz Shoe and Watch Repair | |
| Fiddler Fifer and Practical Café | Big Top Toys | |
| Trolley Treats | Horace's Pawn Shop | |
| The Carthay Lounge | Oswald's Gas & Oil | |
| Club Carthay | Los Feliz Five and Dime | |
| Elias and Company Department Store | ||
| Kingswell Camera Shop | ||
| Atwater Ink and Paint Art Supply |