Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Main Street Station & Town Square, October 1961

Good old Main Street U.S.A.! Somehow Walt knew that it was the perfect way to start a visit to "The Happiest Place On Earth". One of the first things guests see is the train station; of course the railroad was a vital part of any city's economy, bringing goods and visitors from all over the country. 

There it is, built of red brick with granite details to let you know how solid and prosperous this little town is.  In my home town, the train station is built of gold and diamonds.

There's no train at the station. Boo.


Down at the bottom edge of the photo we can just see the tops of a number of attraction posters, including a super-rare "Flying Saucers" example. But... notice that one of the poster frames is ajar, and there is no poster! What gives?? Maybe I stole it? Mwaa-ha-ha!


This next picture is a lovely shot of Town Square. It's awfully crowded, but sometimes ya just gotta "man up" and deal with it. The pale yellow building near the center is where you could view (and buy?) Wurlitzer pianos and organs - though I've always wondered if you could have ordered one of those beautiful jukeboxes - you know, the ones with the bubble tubes. 

Just visible to the right is the Hills Bros. shop. 


The landscaper left his rake and a cardboard box beneath that tree. What a ninny-muggins. At first I thought the box said "Fritos", but now I think it might say "Coca Cola". Obviously it's hard to decipher. Meanwhile, Fritos go great with an ice cold Coke - it's what I had for breakfast.

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I was thinkin' maybe it was this particular version of the Coca Cola logo, but it's just too hard to tell.



8 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

The attraction poster thief strikes yet again-! (I wonder which gem was removed-?)

Sorry, Major, no direct sales of product at the Wurlitzer store- merely a showroom where guests could leave contact info.

Thanks, Major.

Chuck said...

Major, I'm not entirely convinced that box isn't sporting a Miller Beer logo.

Nanook, I'm sure it was the Park's experience with Catfish Cove that led to the "no Wurlitzer sales" policy. Can you imagine finding a smelly organ abandoned in a locker?

Unknown said...

I think the station used brick and then limestone for the quoins. And it's strange that the bricks are in a stretcher bond and not Scottish bond or a seven stretcher American bond. My God, what if it's a wood and stucco building and the bricks are all a magical illusion wrought by clever Imagineers! The implications stagger the imagination...

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, it was a very nice “Tiki Room” poster! Er, I mean, I don’t know; yeah that’s it. What poster? As for Wurlitzer, I guess what I meant is did the Main Street store ever have those jukeboxes on display, or were they too modern? Was it all pianos and organs?

Chuck, you might be right - see my added photo of an early 1960’s Coke logo, which is the version I was thinking of. To be honest, as blurry as the blown-up image is, I’m not sure that it is Coke OR Miller. Darn it. Also, the less “smelly organ” references, the better! Unless you were talking about a nose.

Patrick Devlin, you have just won 100 golden pazoozas for your use of the word “quoins”. Also, isn’t a stretcher bond pretty much the most common brick pattern? Imagineers would never fool us. That would be like lying, and lying is bad.

Steve DeGaetano said...

Main Street Station is just such a perfect building in form and function, especially if you're a fan of Victorian architecture. And I'm sorry--the original color scheme (green doors complimenting the red brick, pastel buttercup-yellow on the lower windows and dormers) is just so much more pleasing than the what the modern "imagineers" have done.

And today, there are baffles behind the "widow's walk" on the station's roof, obliterating the wrought-iron's lacey look. Boo.

I notice the center doors are open--something I've never seen before, especially with the Lilly Belle case in front of them nowadays.

Major Pepperidge said...

Steve DeGaetano, I have griped about the colors used on today's Main Street many times! What is the purpose of that baffling on the roof of the station? Does it obscure equipment?

Steve DeGaetano said...

Major, I believe it obscures lighting standards for the various parades.

Unknown said...

"If ignorance is bliss, then 'tis folly to be wise." I haven't noticed the shrouds covering up the lighting fixtures up on the ridge of the Main Street Depot in spite of my recent visit. Maybe I'll be happier just by never looking up there again. If I can avoid it for 30 years, or so, I should escape this vale of tears unscathed...

And it was a Coca-Cola box hiding a half rack of the champagne of bottled beers for the long afternoon ahead, no doubt.