Five Things You Might Have Missed on Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure Park

Tyler Slater

by , Public Relations Manager, Disney Parks, Experiences & Products

This month marks the second anniversary of the grand reopening of Disney California Adventure park. Since then, the details of Buena Vista Street have captured the hearts of Disney fans and families – making the new entrance one of the most beloved lands at the Disneyland Resort. Today, I’m excited to share some of the details you might have missed in one of our newest additions, Buena Vista Street!

1. Disney California Adventure Park Rededication Time Capsule

Just inside the entrance of Disney California Adventure park, near the flagpole, look for a plaque on the ground. It reads: “May the hopes and dreams represented by the collection contained within the time capsule beneath this marker inspire a future generation of dreamers when it is unsealed a quarter century from now, on June 15, 2037.”

Do you know where the other time capsule is located at the Disneyland Resort? How about the year in which it will be opened?

2. Hyperion Bridge – The Disneyland Monorail crosses over a bridge that is inspired by a Los Angeles landmark, the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge. The original bridge opened in 1929 and can still be found in Los Angeles, spanning Interstate 5 from Glendale, Calif., to the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles.

3. Street Addresses on Buena Vista Street

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This next detail is a favorite of mine: Next time you visit Disney California Adventure park, look at the addresses of each of the buildings on Buena Vista Street. Believe it or not, there is a significance to the numbers! The first two digits of all the addresses (26 or 27) refer to two of the years that the Walt Disney Studios were located on Hyperion Avenue in Los Angeles. The second two digits often, though not always, correspond to a milestone year in the history of the Studios. For example, the address of Julius Katz Shoe and Watch Repair is 2701 Buena Vista St., representing the year of Walt Disney’s birth – 1901.

4. Rock Candy Mountain Model – Located in the window of Trolley Treats is a model of Rock Candy Mountain, a short-lived concept to be part of Storybook Land Canal Boats in Fantasyland at Disneyland park. In the original plans, the exterior of the mountain was to be completely covered with candy – and the model was covered with real candy! Fortunately the original has since retired but we do have a replica featuring a scale-model trolley (fitting for Trolley Treats) traveling through lollipops, taffy, chocolate, fudge and more. If you look closely, you might find a hidden Mickey, of sorts, deep inside the mountain.

5. Atwater School of Art & Animation

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As you walk by Atwater Ink & Paint, look for the Atwater School of Art & Animation sign. The instructors are listed as: “Messrs. Clark, Davis, Johnston, Kahl, Kimball, Larson, Lounsbery, Reitherman, Thomas.” Do these names sound familiar? Well, these “instructors” are actually Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” a group of key animators who provided direction for Disney animated classics like “Peter Pan,” “Cinderella” and many more.

Have you discovered other details of Buena Vista Street? Please share with us in the comments below!

Comments

  • Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the 2719 Buena Vista Street address you have photographed actually referencing the original address of the Disney Studios, at 2719 Hyperion Avenue, and not the years that the studios were located there? The studios were bought in 1925 and located at the Hyperion addresss until 1940.

  • In one of the small doorways on Buena Vista Street (and up a couple of stairs) there is a mailbox that labels the inhabitants of an apartment, The names are “E. Valiant” a reference to Eddie Valiant from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, “T. Ogelvie” the character Theodore Ogelvie from “The Apple Dumpling Game”, “P. Peabody” the character A. ‘Peevy’ Peabody from “The Rocketeer”, and “S. Yoshiwara” which is a reference to a former cast member and Disney fan who passed away before Buena Vista Street was completed.

    I learned the meaning behind some of these names from various Disney fan blogs.

  • As you walk along the East side of Hyperion Blvd, check out the mailboxes on the raised landing….. E. Valiant lives upstairs! I LOVE that little nod.

  • I’ve got another Buena Vista Street tidbit for you, Tyler (or, if you already know it then hopefully someone else will find it interesting)! This was another detail I learned on the Walk With An Imagineer tour last year:

    On one of the walls inside Big Top Toys there is a painting of a jovial ringmaster, against a blue background. He is wearing a red jacket and white shirt, and is holding his hat (though I could be mis-remembering that). That ringmaster is Imagineer Ray Spencer, who was instrumental in the formation/creation of Buena Vista Street. Ray was supposed to be the Imagineer who led our tour, but he couldn’t make it at the last minute so another Imagineer filled in for him.

    And…how about one more BVS detail for the road, courtesy of the Carthay Circle Tour?! In keeping with the Snow White influence in the Carthay Circle restaurant, you will notice — if you look very closely at the tables — faint, subtle images of the Evil Queen in the wood.

  • Hi Tyler,

    I thoroughly enjoyed your post today! During my theme park visits, I now focus on all the historical details the Disney Imagineers infuse in all aspects of the Disney Parks. It’s so interesting how everything has a meaning and significance. No detail, even the smallest most obscure, one is insignificant. I just love that.

    I will indeed look for these time capsules upon our return to the Disneyland Resort in the near future.

    Thank you,
    Jackie

  • I watch the ceremony for the “Time Castle” (time capsule) buried in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at the Disneyland 40th Birthday Celebration. It will be opened on the 80th birthday.

    Placed beneath this marker on July 17, 1995 – THE DISNEYLAND 40TH ANNIVERSARY TIME CASTLE. A Time Castle containing Disneyland memories, messages and milestones, lies beneath this spot. The Disneyland Time Castle is dedicated to the children of the 21st century, who may unlock its contents on the 80th Anniversary of Disneyland: July 17, 2035.

    • That’s correct, Pamela!

  • I love the details on Buena Vista Street (and, really, all over Disneyland Resort)! I am a very detail-oriented person, so I am always spotting something interesting everywhere I go in the parks, Downtown Disney or at the 3 hotels.

    One of my favorite details on Buena Vista Street is one that was pointed out on the Walk With an Imagineer tour last December. Our Imagineer drew our attention to the mice around the letter “M” carved into the Mortimer’s Market façade (look up, near the sign). Those mice are clever, retro tips of the hat to the present-day “hidden Mickeys” that we all know and love!

    • How interesting, Sherry – I didn’t know that! You know what I’ll be looking for during my next visit. 🙂

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