Architectural Rendering of Main Street at the Magic Kingdom (Or Construction Walls and Scrims!)
On a recent visit to the Magic Kingdom, I spotted something unexpectedly charming on the Magic Kingdom Main Street construction walls: an architectural rendering of the Northeast corner of Main Street U.S.A., featuring the Plaza Restaurant and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. Instead of the usual bland “please excuse our dust” vibe, the artwork felt like a little wink at the Victorian-style storytelling that makes Main Street work. It’s the kind of detail most guests walk right past on the way to Tomorrowland, but once you notice it, it adds a surprising bit of warmth to an otherwise very temporary construction moment.
The wall is in front of the Plaza Restaurant and faces the Hub and Cinderella Castle. If you check out the image, you’ll notice it is an architectural rendering of that block on Main Street.
Disney is known for adding signs with pithy statements based on quotes from Walt Disney, or in the more recent construction at Epcot, quotes from the Epcot attractions.
Seeing the rendering was a nice touch and brought a feeling of Victorian charm, as the say, to this transition area between Main Street and Tomorrowland.
Prior to the pandemic, Disney would throw up massive scrims with an image of the building or attraction on it. Recently, Disney has been doing massive construction walls with nondescript (read: beige) scrims hiding the construction.
What do you think about all off the construction walls at Walt Disney World?
Construction walls are never anyone’s favorite souvenir photo, but little touches like this Main Street rendering show Disney still knows how to soften the edges while work is underway. It’s a small reminder that even the “in-between” spaces can carry theme, charm, and a bit of storytelling, especially on Main Street U.S.A., where the details usually do the heavy lifting. Now I’m curious: do you prefer the old-school decorated scrims with printed building facades, or the newer big walls and neutral scrims? And if you’ve spotted any other clever construction-wall art or quotes at Walt Disney World lately, drop the location in the comments so the rest of us can keep an eye out on our next lap around the parks.