What Lies Beneath Main Street, U.S.A.?

[@JBX302]

I know this video was about basements, but I found it very uplifting! May your number of subscribers continue to rise!

[@thesweepspot]

Also a basement under Plaza Inn, it was used as the dish wash room. There was lifts for the buckets with dishes to go down. I can show you sometime where they used to be.

[@itsmeoli3705]

So glad I discovered your channel, epic content!

[@raulzarco2063]

Love your genuine enthusiasm! Another classic Hey Brickey video!

[@FunAtDisney]

Great video Bricky and I love the story about Lincoln being lowered when not performing. However I am wondering about the basement of the Opera House, mainly when it was built. Looking at the black and white film of the workers digging for the addition you can see their torso is at grade level. My guess is because this was a framed addition (rather than the other Main Street building starting as basically a warehouse (or “balloon” construction) they needed to first do a raised foundation. Raised foundations were common back then (my parents home built around 1950 had a crawl space under the house) far more so than slab foundations which became code due to earthquake mitigation. But…. The main reason I think the basement for Lincoln was done when they installed him was because I very much recall as a kid going into the Opera House before Lincoln was even there! It was set up as the Mickey Mouse Club House, but basically an empty shell with flats as sets. I also remember former adult Mouseketeer and animator Roy Williams was there drawing pictures for the kids. So there would have been no reason to have a basement prior to Lincoln.

[@daveallan3152]

@FunAtDisney, I Also remember walking into the "Babes In Toyland" sets there before Lincoln. I also agree that the film does not show a basement being dug, but the footers for the front portion of the building. My maintenance castmember memory goes back over 50 years. I have been in the attic of the theater as well as all the rooms in the extention. There is a long hallway behind all the rooms that face Town Square. That hallway is very quirky with an uneven floor that leans and has a rendom step. I used to visit the Disneyland Operators. At one time all the phonelines went through that building. I even had an office with a window facing the Stream Trains there for about a year.

[@FunAtDisney]

@ Wow - That’s so great you worked up there. I only saw it during our CM training tour. Most people now days (well, under 30 or so) have no idea what a “PBX” system or phone operators where or what they did. But they really transferred calls back then and oversaw the announcement operations or occasionally they would announce something live over the public address system. At times it was to call out that a child was lost, or if a guest needed to be notified due to a family emergency - no cell phones back then!

[@daveallan3152]

@FunAtDisney I have a funny moment to share here. Once I was in the attic of the train station, setting the time on the clock that faces main st. Ken, my coworker, was in Town Square telling me what time the clock said. He wanted the correct Disneyland time, so he called the operator to ask the time. She leaned over and looked out the window to see what time was on the Train Statin clock. After a couple of misses, we figured out what was happening.

[@nzjonty]

Nothing superficial about your videos Brickey, loved a literal deep dive and the genius of looking at the literal construction video. Will always be a little bit more special to walk those paths while understanding what’s beneath my feet!

[@jetsons101]

The next CEO of Disneyland should use Mr. Lincoln as a role model.

[@alancranford3398]

Thanks, Brickey. My first visit to Disneyland was in May 1972 and basements were on my mind since then. I had been watching Disneyland television since at least 1962; some film footage was shown on Disney's Wonderful World of Color and on the Mickey Mouse Club television shows. What was the invisible Disneyland like? How did they make magic possible? Over the years I did see stairs going to a lower level when a "closet" opened. I didn't think that subterranean tunnels under the Rivers of America were practical due to cost--especially maintenance. As my first trip to Disneyland happened after Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion opened, I knew that there were parts of Disneyland that were underground--but didn't know the extent. Even the commercially reproduced blueprints didn't reveal those secrets. Sounds like a trip to Anaheim's City Hall is in order. Fictional Indiana Jones spent as much time in libraries researching ancient temples as he did on expedition. Somebody had those blueprints.

[@daveallan3152]

My castmember memories go back more than 50 years. From the start there was only 2 ways to enter the basement under Coke Corner. The very narrow spiral stairs or a typical ventage sidewalk elevator behind the building for the Coke deliveries. I believe the area eventually became a confined space with restricted access until 2011 when the "400 block" was taken down to the dirt. During that remodel a standard basement with elevator and stairway were added. I recall going down that spiral stairs one time to a very damp, dark, and dirty space.

[@bonnieblenders4606]

Don't forget the park at the end of main street! 1985 was the 35th anniversary. There was a dream machine that people with special tickets got to pull the lever ( kinda like a slot machine) and the prize you got would light up. Well, i won a car and when I did, that whole big 'slot machine' raised up to reveal a car underneath it. Quite a nice memory 🎉😊🎉

[@pftd1241]

Love all the construction images and videos. The way you edit against commentary recorded on site is superb.

[@lcruz2783]

Bro, another great video of a place so many of us cherish, your videos always gives new information, and to think we still can't get enough. God Bless and keep them coming.

[@scarletowl8337]

My Dad was an engineer and super excited to experience the underground tour in WDW. As kids we were like no thanks we’ll do rides but as an adult I wish I’d gone with him. Thanks for another BTS look at Disney 🙌

[@marschun]

Great video! Thank you so much!

[@AtticHaunt321]

Another great video! Thanks! BTW, in the Coke Corner pic, was that a trash chute in the center of frame?

[@HeyBrickey]

It certainly looked like it. Thanks for supporting the content ❤️

[@charleshamilton9274]

Yep, those subterranean spaces definitely are of interest but for me I always wonder about the spaces ABOVE the ground floor of the shops and restaurants. I imagine they are used for storage and perhaps cast meeting/break rooms but I envision the literal millions of folks who’ve walked by all these years perhaps looking up in curiosity at the window I now stand beside. It gives me profound joy.

[@FunAtDisney]

For decades the second floor of the Opera House was where the operators were for the PBX (phones, park audio, etc.) was. I went up during my cast member orientation about 1976. I heard a couple years ago the last actual human person working the system retired - everything up there is all digital now. Most of the building along main street appear to have full second floors, and some do but not all. If you go into the Emporium for example you’ll notice high ceilings but there are displays (mannequins) around the perimeter and the back half of the Emporium has lower ceilings where there are storage and offices above. The building the has the Adventureland shops on one side, and Frontierland shops on the other does have a second floor where there are offices, storage and break room. Basically if go into a shop that looks to have two stories (or more) and there is a lower ceiling (10 feet or so is commercial height) there will be something up above.

[@daveallan3152]

@charleshamilton9274 One of my jobs spanning 52 years was Arcade Mechanic. While working in the Penny Arcade, the electrical circuit that fed Esmerelda and the mutoscopes tripped. The breaker panel was in the attic just above Esmerelda. We would climb stairs on the back of the building and enter a path that is just behind the curtained windows the guests see. The space is not tall enough to stand up strait, and there are conduits, steel eyebeams, and bulkheads to step over and duck under. The walkway goes all the way around to the north facing windows. All Main Street buildings have these paths. City Hall and the Opera House have offices. All park announcements, parades, fireworks, and the parade route broadcast from one of those rooms in the Opera House.

[@FunAtDisney]

@ Great story! I wonder how much that has changed with the addition of the projection systems? Do you ever listen to the Sweep Spot podcast?

[@daveallan3152]

@FunAtDisney yes the projection has made those spaces very difficult to move through. In 1997, the "Light Magic" Parade had a short run. It had floats with large screens. The parade stopped in 2 locations. The Small World Mall projection towers are still there. The projection was on 70mm film. On Main Street the projectors and film cabinets had to be squeezed into the Attics on the East side of the street. That Christmas, I was working with the riggers to set up the cables that held the garlands across Main Street. We had to squeeze past the projectors to access the rigging hardware.

[@FunAtDisney]

@ I’m sure it was very tight up there since that area was never built or designed for all of that! And I do remember Light Magic and still have a hat with the logo on it!

[@DocDoccus]

You can't imagine the mental image of "putting Mr Lincoln to bed". Hmm. 14:30 - "BRICK--KEYYYY!!!" 😄

[@cathyortiz1280]

Greart video. Did you ever do a video showing how there used to be an area before the entrance with picnic tables & very large lockers? I remember my mom bringing our lunch & snacks in a cooler when very young. We'd go out there for lunch. They probably got rid of it, so you have to buy their food.

[@bannercaptain]

As a CM from '76-'81 I worked at CC, it was a lot bigger that it is now and I remember as I wiped those tables and chairs inside CC and loved that spiral staircase and the basement, really sad to hear that it's no longer there, I worked as well at another location where there was tunnel/basement as well and that is for CM only

[@mapamouse]

There still is a “basement “ underneath Coca Cola Refreshment Corner. They have the CO2 containers that pressurize the soda dispensers down there.

[@mgtrumpet]

There is also a basement below galactic grill that has entertainment dressing room, break room, and access to the stage when it is lowered. Also, there is a tunnel from the back is Space Mountain that runs below galactic grill and out to Pixie Hollow.

[@HeyBrickey]

I made a video about that very tunnel. Walt’s big experiment for the Florida Project.

[@supersat]

This is probaby well-known, but there is a small tunnel just outside of Toontown that goes into the heart of the park. Back in the late 90s, our high school marching band was escorted into the park through this tunnel! We popped out somewhere near Big Thunder Mountain.

[@stlopez17]

Castmember passage way you’ll always see us crossing from one wooden gate to the other

[@acexprt]

There is one very real tunnel that runs from behind innoventions all the way to where Arials Grotto is/was I worked there for 3 years. The tunnel is used for maintenance for the Tomorrowland terrace stage as well as a way to transport food there. There’s a green room for the bands and a couple other storage areas. There’s also a network of hallways in New Orleans. There used to be a cast member only restaurant called the West-Side Diner. I think that has since been removed.

[@RobRoyRoadie]

That cafeteria was originally called The DEC.

[@mapamouse]

West side diner was removed to expand the N.O.M.K. bigger. The area at the end of the tunnel is now Pixie Hollow.

[@sunnybearify]

I live for your videos! They let me feel like an imagineer! My childhood dream. Love you Brickey!

[@robertjones1729]

Aloha Brickey...I love your content brah I worked at the Plaza Pavilion.. where Jolly Holiday is today and . it has a basement..they stored extra silverware and dishes down there for replacement acess...yes .we used real china plates and silverware back then and had a huge Hobart dish machine..I have no idea what they do with it now but its still there...just like the bathrooms to the far right of the entrance..closed because of the need for disability access could not be done(too small no way to increase it) Thank you for your work and again.. thanks for the green water system video

[@gfarmer4606]

I also worked there in the mid 70's and it was were most of the food supplies were stored

[@robertjones1729]

@@gfarmer4606 I was a busman.72-75. Bob Jones..ring a bell?

[@gfarmer4606]

worked there the summer of 75 early shift in the kitchen, name is Greg

[@robertjones1729]

@gfarmer4606 no don't recall but nice to hear from another Pavilion veteran

[@robertjones1729]

Back at ya....I going for Thanksgiving!

[@NathanielStracker]

There are also tunnels going from Pirates of the Caribbean to the haunted mansion. They accidentally exited my boat right after the scene with the cannons going off in the water and we got stuck in the tunnel and were directed off the boat and underground through a bunch of passageways with cast members in a cafeteria at one point before we exited out by the haunted mansion and they walked us back to get on the next boat to do the full ride.

[@edstrong597]

Fun video, keep up the good work. 1, who wouldn’t want a detour through Adventure Land ? 2, fun fact, the safe under “ Coke Corner” is where Indiana Jones hid the Ark. Oh, shoot ! I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.

[@tracylee2547]

Brickey! You're a maniac! All the research you've done to produce these types of videos is mind-boggling to imagine. Thank you for your dedication to your craft! Continue to amaze, sir.

[@phillipureno1614]

Hi Brickey There is another basement below Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion. I was in there once when I was an Imagineer. Much like what is under the Tiki Room, it housed the computer elements for the house. It was fairly large as I recall.

[@davidschiller1611]

There is also a tunnel under New Orleans Square. It is Beneath the area near the restrooms. It connects the kitchens for Club 33 and Blue Bayou. It’s nothing exciting to see, but it’s there.

[@RobRoyRoadie]

It’s not just a tunnel, it’s the entire New Orleans Main Kitchen. It’s a huge space with elevators to each restaurant, walk in coolers, storage rooms, a large dishwashing room and the old CM cafeteria, the DEC.

[@clintonwillis9941]

Love this stuff!

[@PirateNovelist]

Always love facts like these!

[@bestcoast7719]

Disney history just hits different when it’s told by Brickey 🤩

[@toniehrlich4591]

You rock! You make my rehab from surgery so much easier

[@Primogen16]

When I worked at Disney, I was taken on a backstage tour, which included going into the basement under Country Bear Jamboree to see the huge mechanism that controlled the bears. I'm sure there are indvidual basements all over the park.

[@JanaFarman]

in the early 70s my cousin took me into the "tunnel". We entered thru a side door to the left of the Galactic Grill. It was cool seeing the little rooms but a little horrifying seeing a character without its head. We were trying to get into the back lot to my cousin's trailer where she worked. I would have been maybe 9yrs old.

[@anthonypecorara]

The Lincoln basement was my nickname in college…..Another great video! Such interesting stuff!

[@DrStarlander]

Excellent video Brickey! Love that you "dig deep" to uncover the secrets of Disneyland! In the past couple days, since the walls have come down from around the new Haunted Mansion queue, I noticed there seems to be an elevator-like trap door under the new wrought iron gazebo in the queue (where the table and chairs are). I noticed it well in a FreshBaked Tours Departing Daily video at 5:00. It's partially concealed by a rug. I wonder if there is a tunnel from the ADA elevator hole over to here and whether it will be used to lift actors or props up in that gazebo? Please keep your eye on that and let us know!

[@PoweredLaces]

Cool discovery!

[@Michaeland]

As you show inside the Lincoln theater dipping down, it occurs to me that that puts us on eye level with Lincoln, not looking up at him. Nice effect.

[@KaiyaKramer]

Wow this is so cool!! The bird hospital? I appreciate you taking us behind the attractions ! I’m nerding out!

[@tinkershell1856]

Interesting video! 😃 Actually the WDW Magic Kingdom’s utilidoors are NOT underground basements. If you dig a hole in Florida, it fills with water, so they were built above ground and the park was built on top of them. 🙂 fascinating stuff!

[@gregoryfaith4303]

As a former electronics technician, I watched audio animatronics progress over the decades at both DI$NEYLAND and DI$NEY WORLD. Electronics changed and everything took smaller footprints and lower energy usage. LED and computer controllers rule the amusement park world these days. Be prepared for what comes next in the years ahead kiddies. It is going to be fascinating to say the least.

[@SpeedyCrabbit1533]

What animatronic was your favorite and was it impressive

[@gregoryfaith4303]

@SpeedyCrabbit1533 The Shaman in Na'vi River Ride at Animal Kingdom's Pandora attraction. Stunning to say the least. Best real life movements.

[@SpeedyCrabbit1533]

@ mine is Louis the alligator or Mickey and Minnie from Runaway railway and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Those three characters are the real life versions from their specific media and Louis’s movements are impressive with mickey and Minnie even though their projected faces the one I like is them in their car since it’s animatronic and prop together

[@stephaniehudson4762]

I was blown away the first time I saw Hondo. I truly thought it was a live cast member!

[@SpeedyCrabbit1533]

@@gregoryfaith4303 Today I just love all of the animatronics especially C-3PO in star tours (not the one with R2-D2)

[@MELFREES55]

"TWO-SCORE...NINETEEN-YEARS"~~AND..."ONE"-BASEMENT..AGO~~ "HONEST ABE"..APPEARED..ON..MAIN STREET ! ~~ (1965)

[@WebfootWanderings]

At around 15:13, there's a panorama of the Main Street area and Coke Corner. I'm not disputing the basement, but what about going upwards? Coke Corner appears to have a larger 2nd story than the typical 7/10ths normally used for the second story?

[@shashona3084]

Ohhh Disney lore sign me up

[@Jimmymariachi]

I worked at WDW for 14 years and about 4 of them was at magic kingdom using the tunnels.

[@texasguysanantonio8295]

I would assume that since it is now 2024, the 1960s technology required for Mr. Lincoln would be updated and much, much smaller...giving them rooom for the Disney figure control systems. And would be using more electric servos in the figures and fewer hydraulics.

[@TheDesignRescueShow]

I know this is park-specific, but the hotel has an underground tunnel system connecting all of the towers. I'm not sure about the new one, but when I worked there in the 80's, we used the tunnels to sign in, get our uniform, and go to work.

[@davids6898]

And there’s more. The Gibson Girl is located near the candy palace. If you know your Disneyland history the Gibson Girl used to be the Sunkist Citrus House. Also Bengal Barbecue used to be Sunkist I Presume. There used to be a basement behind the citrus house that connected directly to Sunkist I Presume by which they were able to transport crates of oranges back and forth.

[@bonnieblenders4606]

I used to work in Orange and I had a ton of patients who worked at Disneyland and they told me they had tunnels for easy deliveries

[@catperson271]

Interesting video. Love knowing the Disney secrets. I would love to know what’s behind all those windows in the two story buildings. Any ideas?

[@johnvictor2451]

Wow! Relay logic. This is begging for a PLC upgrade!

[@docsavage8640]

The Enchanted Tiki Room is the best ride left. Too bad Tahitian Terrace is gone. Disneyland really sucks now compared to what it was.

[@Snipedog1978]

Technically the tunnels under the magic kingdom in Florida. In reality the turns are built at ground level due to the high water table, and then it was back filled with the material out o bay lake. So technically the tunnels are the first floor of the magic kingdom and the are the guests are in the park is the second floor. When you walk into the park you are actually walking up a sloop to bring you to that second floor

[@kdganske53]

Someone I followed on line claims decades ago, he was arrested within DL. He said the cell was deep within the park.

[@hoppywanderer5942]

I have heard rumors there are basements under New Orleans Square, containing a Cast Member lunch room, storage space and a tunnel under the railway berm for incoming supplies and outgoing garbage. ----- Why is there a railroad tunnel between Main Street Station and New Orleans Station? What is it hiding? ----- Have you noticed the double open gates between Fantasyland and Frontierland? I think these can be closed to create a crossing of the Big Thunder Trail to get supplies, garbage and such across the trail without the Guests seeing it. What do you think? ----- Love the all the tidbits and history you dig up and present. Good job and good pacing of the info.

[@chicochrish]

Good video

[@timwolfers7880]

Maybe some decade in the future, Tomorrowland will be as pristine as Main Street USA. 😮

[@Limitless-53]

Hello good morning

[@shanestuddard2606]

But, BRICKEY . . . why did they dig a basement when Lincoln was not even on the drawing board until much, much later? Lincoln premiered at the 1964 World’s Fair.

[@jimmertownsend3464]

I had read years ago that Mr Lincoln can be dropped into the basement and the temperature drops rapidly in case of a fire. A great deal of precaution is taken to preserve the figure in case of an emergency.

[@coloradostrong8285]

Wow! So fire can be slowed by dropping the temperature? Wow!

[@docsavage8640]

As the surrounding temperature drops, the combustion process becomes less efficient, making the fire burn slower.

[@johnmccaslin-doyle6917]

I assume that the service elevator at coke corner has a loading dock for chocolate and coke deliveries? Do you have video about backstage roadways?

[@SuperKazmierski]

There are several basements. Pirates, Haunted Mansion... Right?

[@flamingchillum]

Hey Brickey. nice. Nice but look again, First, the top of the train station moves over the bridge, then a big yellow loader drives past, Last there is a huge pile of dirt, from the basement on the road that needs to be moved away..... Can you do one on the Indian village. ?

[@sdavrider]

There was no basement being dug in that footage.

[@mjberg1]

The basement of Coke’s Corner is tiny, doubt it’s 1700 sq feet. I was a candy maker, we didn’t store chocolate down there. What we did store was all the different type of nuts we used to make candy

[@-Christoph]

I was one three janitors with security clearence and had access to the hidden second basement underneath the basement. My job was to clean up the secret laboratory down there, after the alien dissection was done.🛸👽

[@edstrong597]

@@-Christoph and it depends on who’s foot you measured 1700 times. Shaq’s 1700 foot measurement is going to be slightly bigger than 1700 of my feet. Also, did you help ET escape ?

[@jetsons101]

Now days the Tiki Room could be controlled by a laptop......

[@sky0kast0]

Perhaps but are you thinking all those problems would go away I doubt it and still be a fire hazard even if it's laptop running it

[@nf1nk]

How much dirt did the famous berm take? The Rivers of America can't account for all of it. I bet there are even more basements.

[@zanzabar4ky7]

Is the new Walt animatronic going to be an "Audio Animatronic." They are supposed to be using the same new gen a1000 or newer systems. They are not really "Audio Animatronics" anymore in anything but in Disney liking to use the trademark. I really wish they would stop using the name for things that are not controlled by analog tape. the tech using computers fully is cool and if you go older the stuff that is just on fixed motors with cams is also cool.

[@JesseAdventure]

C!

[@robertjones1729]

Thats true.. including kissing my girl Beverly

[@matthunter1424]

This is 100% backwards! Please do your research. After Disneyland was finished, Walt was at the park on day and saw a cast member in Fantasyland costume walk through Frontier land (or the other way around.) That ruined the immersive experience for Walt. Also he saw carts of trash etc. being pushed on the same streets as customers were on. He knew this had to be fixed. In Florida the property was a swamp, hence it had to be elevated and the utilidors were born. Part to keep the park above wet ground, and part to allow cast members and other goods to be kept out of sight.

[@HeyBrickey]

I don’t even know what you are talking about and how this has anything conflicting my video. Sounds like we’re on the same page but you possibly heard something wrong in the video. Trust me, I do my research, thanks for watching.