The Liberty Arcade

Perhaps one of the most unique elements of Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland Paris is the pair of arcades, or passageways, which run along the back side of the shops, parallel to Main Street itself. Designed as a way to maintain crowd flow during parades and offer guests a respite from the frequent Parisian rains, the arcades manage to serve as attractions unto themselves and provide beautiful transitions to neighboring lands.

Along the west side of Main Street, connecting to Frontierland, is the Liberty Arcade, telling the story of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States. The colonnades along the Liberty Arcade are adorned with medallions of copper stars and the face of Lady Liberty, as well as handsome gas lamps crowned with American eagles.

Throughout the arcade, a series of photographs and exhibits tells the story of the statue, sculpted by Frédéric Bartholdi on a metal armature designed by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was commissioned in the 1870s, the completed head placed on display at the 1878 Paris World's Fair and the final piece dedicated in New York Harbor in 1886.

Beyond the creation and dedication of the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Arcade also tells the tale of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island with the dream of a new life in the new world. This part of the exhibit includes several original items from the period.

Just off Flower Street at the center of Main Street is the Liberty Court, an alternate entrance to the Liberty Arcade. Here, beautiful stained glass windows and doors feature images of Lady Liberty and her famous torch of freedom.

Step inside at this point, and you'll discover an intricate tile floor, depicting New York Harbor, along with the entrance to the Liberty Tableau, a brief multimedia presentation designed to make you feel as though you're present at the statue's 1886 inaugural ceremony.

The ballyhoo murals flanking the theater entrance, prompting visitors to "See Liberty's Torch" and "Relive the Grand Spectacle," were designed in the style of those created for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1876. That expo, the first World's Fair held in the United States, featured a display of the arm and torch of the then-unfinished Statue of Liberty.