Work continues in the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort as the entire area is reimagined. We visited the shopping, dining, and entertainment center to check out the latest construction updates.
Downtown Disney District Expansion
A swirling spire has been added, along with other roofing elements, to this rounded structure next to what will presumably be Din Tai Fung.
In our August update, this structure had only just begun to take shape. Now, the white dual-spire element has been added, along with wooden railings along the edge of the roof.
Ceiling cover and what looks to be show lighting have also been installed.
This spire looks similar to the one featured in concept art for the second story bar that will be part of the recently-announced Parkside Market. In the art, this area is used as a stage for live music. While these could potentially be separate locations, it is possible they could share a similar architectural design.
A similar structure is also featured in the original concept art for the reimagining of the Downtown Disney District. You can see it here on the left.
Directly next to the spire structure, what is likely the upcoming restaurant Din Tai Fung has begun building out its Chinese-style hipped roof. The restaurant was originally announced for the Downtown Disney District last year.
Metal roofing has been set along the main portion of the roof.
The edge of the roof and its points are still exposed beams, for now.
These will likely be the next to get covered as work on this structure continues.
Downtown Disney District Reimaging
The Downtown Disney District reimagining is inspired by the mid-century space age look, which was popular in California during the 1950s and ’60s, when Disneyland first opened.
This project has been ongoing for the last few years; however, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock announced this year an 18-month completion timeframe, which roughly sees the District embracing its fresh face by the end of 2024.
The Downtown Disney District Monorail station was also recently refurbished.
Other new outlets coming to the Downtown Disney District include the beloved Porto’s Bakery and a new permanent home for Earl of Sandwich. Currently, the sandwich shop sits in the former home of La Brea Bakery, which will be the site of Porto’s in the near future.
All of this work on the resort’s entertainment, shopping, and dining hub is merely one minuscule portion of larger plans connected to the DisneylandForward initiative — a multi-year public planning effort that seeks to map out the next thirty years of vision with the City of Anaheim and Orange County.
DisneylandForward primarily aims to obtain more flexibility for land the resort received approval to develop in the 1990s, ideally adding a mix of theme parks, hotels, retail, dining, and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the resort. Currently, Disneyland has used less than half of the millions of square feet already approved for development, according to the Orange County Register. All plans stay within the existing 500-acre property in Anaheim with no physical expansion or additional acreage.
In September 2023, the DisneylandForward documents were updated, sharing a variety of proposed uses for the allotted land, including a third gate space, a potential PeopleMover or Disney Skyliner guest transportation system, and more.
Most recently, the city of Anaheim released concept art showing off a potential new parking structure as part of the project.
Are you excited about the transformation of the Downtown Disney District? What do you think of the latest progress? Let us know in the comments.
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