- Edison Square & International Street
- (and other Main Street Concepts)
Expansion is a very important part of Disneyland's history, and as it turns out, even our little Main Street has had expansion rumors floating about it. To this day the area east of Main Street as only been used for backstage facilities and areas that the public never gets to see. But Walt and his Imagineers hated to see such space being wasted, and many concepts for this area have come and gone.
The first of these concepts came shortly after Main Street itself was born. The early concepts for Main Street called for what would be a residential district behind the East Side of Main Street. Among Main Street's residences would be an old rickety house on top of a hill. This house would be the home of all sorts of spooks and ghosts. And of course today we know that old rickety house as "The Haunted Mansion".
Next came International Street, an area representing different countries in Europe, with architecture representing each different country in it’s own section along this street. People would be able to walk up an entrance built at the East Side of Town Square (much like the residential area). The plan was postponed many times, until it finally disappeared. The most that they ever started to do with it was bring in some lumber to start building, but no construction ever happened.
Guests on Main Street could take a peek at what was to be there from little holes in the wall in front of where International Street was to be. They weren’t really seeing the street, or even construction. They were seeing 3D pictures from a model WED Imagineering made, of what International Street was to look like.
The idea of an International Street never really died, as the whole concept was redone at the World Showcase in EPCOT, Walt Disney World.
Pretty soon, on the same wall that had the peek-holes, they changed the sign to say Liberty Street. The peek-holes were changed so you could see concept sketches of Liberty Street, and a Declaration of Independence remake.
Liberty Street would be a drastic change over from the turn of the 19th century to the Revolutionary War times in the 1700s. Each building would represent one of the 13 colonies. Each building would be themed to the times: a blacksmith, glassmakers, silversmith, etc. The main attraction of this area would be the show in Independence Hall, the Hall of Presidents. An Audio-Animatronic show with all the American Presidents. Since the idea was never hatched at Disneyland, they used it at Walt Disney World for Liberty Square.
Finally the last serious expansion plan for Main Street was a little concept called Edison Square. Edison Square would take that little residential section and turn it into a big city tribute to Thomas Edison who brought lights to Main Street. Edison Square featured an attraction that would tell the story of electricity in a four-part show hosted by some means of electronic robots (a technology which didn't exist at the time). Sponsored by GE this attraction evolved into what we call the "Carousel of Progress".
