diff --git a/lib/legacy/class.js b/lib/legacy/class.js
index f28f15d93f..5e7062c764 100644
--- a/lib/legacy/class.js
+++ b/lib/legacy/class.js
@@ -175,6 +175,10 @@ function mergeProperties(target, source) {
   }
 }
 
+const DISABLED_ATTR = 'disable-upgrade';
+
+let observedAttributesGetter;
+
 /* Note about construction and extension of legacy classes.
   [Changed in Q4 2018 to optimize performance.]
 
@@ -211,9 +215,85 @@ function GenerateClassFromInfo(info, Base, behaviors) {
   let behaviorList;
   const lifecycle = {};
 
+  // Work around for closure bug #126934458. Using `super` in a property
+  // getter does not work so instead we search the Base prototype for an
+  // implementation of observedAttributes so that we can override and call
+  // the `super` getter. Note, this is done one time ever because we assume
+  // that `Base` is always comes from `Polymer.LegacyElementMixn`.
+  if (!observedAttributesGetter) {
+    let ctor = Base;
+    while (ctor && !observedAttributesGetter) {
+      const desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(ctor, 'observedAttributes');
+      if (desc) {
+        observedAttributesGetter = desc.get;
+      }
+      ctor = Object.getPrototypeOf(ctor.prototype).constructor;
+    }
+  }
+
   /** @private */
   class PolymerGenerated extends Base {
 
+    static get observedAttributes() {
+      return observedAttributesGetter.call(this).concat(DISABLED_ATTR);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @override
+     * @param {string} name Attribute name.
+     * @param {?string} old The previous value for the attribute.
+     * @param {?string} value The new value for the attribute.
+     * @param {?string} namespace The XML namespace for the attribute.
+     * @return {void}
+     */
+    attributeChangedCallback(name, old, value, namespace) {
+      if (name == DISABLED_ATTR) {
+        if (!this.__dataEnabled && value == null && this.isConnected) {
+          super.connectedCallback();
+        }
+      } else {
+        super.attributeChangedCallback(
+            name, old, value, /** @type {null|string} */ (namespace));
+      }
+    }
+
+
+    // prevent user code in connected from running
+    /** @override */
+    connectedCallback() {
+      if (this.__dataEnabled || !this.hasAttribute(DISABLED_ATTR)) {
+        super.connectedCallback();
+      }
+    }
+
+    _initializeProperties() {
+      if (!this.hasAttribute(DISABLED_ATTR)) {
+        super._initializeProperties();
+      } else {
+        this.__wasDisabled = true;
+      }
+    }
+
+    // prevent element from turning on properties
+    /** @override */
+    _enableProperties() {
+      if (this.__wasDisabled) {
+        this.__wasDisabled = false;
+        super._initializeProperties();
+      }
+      if (!this.hasAttribute(DISABLED_ATTR)) {
+        super._enableProperties();
+      }
+    }
+
+    // only go if "enabled"
+    /** @override */
+    disconnectedCallback() {
+      if (this.__dataEnabled) {
+        super.disconnectedCallback();
+      }
+    }
+
     // explicitly not calling super._finalizeClass
     /** @nocollapse */
     static _finalizeClass() {
diff --git a/lib/legacy/legacy-element-mixin.js b/lib/legacy/legacy-element-mixin.js
index c4aa7a0286..47ff986954 100644
--- a/lib/legacy/legacy-element-mixin.js
+++ b/lib/legacy/legacy-element-mixin.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Code distributed by Google as part of the polymer project is also
 subject to an additional IP rights grant found at http://polymer.github.io/PATENTS.txt
 */
 import '@webcomponents/shadycss/entrypoints/apply-shim.js';
-import { ElementMixin } from '../mixins/element-mixin.js';
+import { ElementMixin, builtCSS } from '../mixins/element-mixin.js';
 import { GestureEventListeners } from '../mixins/gesture-event-listeners.js';
 import { DirMixin } from '../mixins/dir-mixin.js';
 import { dedupingMixin } from '../utils/mixin.js';
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ let styleInterface = window.ShadyCSS;
  * @summary Element class mixin that provides Polymer's "legacy" API
  */
 export const LegacyElementMixin = dedupingMixin((base) => {
+
+  const GesturesElement = GestureEventListeners(ElementMixin(base));
+
+  // Note, the DirMixin does nothing if css is built so avoid including it
+  // in that case.
+
   /**
    * @constructor
    * @implements {Polymer_ElementMixin}
@@ -47,7 +53,8 @@ export const LegacyElementMixin = dedupingMixin((base) => {
    * @extends {HTMLElement}
    * @private
    */
-  const legacyElementBase = DirMixin(GestureEventListeners(ElementMixin(base)));
+  const legacyElementBase = builtCSS ? GesturesElement :
+    DirMixin(GesturesElement);
 
   /**
    * Map of simple names to touch action names
diff --git a/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js b/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js
index dd3a8708a2..c655411d36 100644
--- a/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js
+++ b/lib/mixins/element-mixin.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import { wrap } from '../utils/wrap.js';
  */
 export const version = '3.2.0';
 
-const builtCSS = window.ShadyCSS && window.ShadyCSS['cssBuild'];
+export const builtCSS = window.ShadyCSS && window.ShadyCSS['cssBuild'];
 
 /**
  * Element class mixin that provides the core API for Polymer's meta-programming
@@ -801,7 +801,7 @@ export const ElementMixin = dedupingMixin(base => {
       // shorthand when attribute deserialization is not important.
       if (legacyWarnings && !(prop in this._properties) &&
           // Methods used in templates with no dependencies (or only literal
-          // dependencies) become accessors with template effects; ignore these 
+          // dependencies) become accessors with template effects; ignore these
           !(effect.info.part.signature && effect.info.part.signature.static) &&
           // Warnings for bindings added to nested templates are handled by
           // templatizer so ignore both the host-to-template bindings
diff --git a/lib/mixins/property-effects.js b/lib/mixins/property-effects.js
index e5af97ce51..410f3c9de5 100644
--- a/lib/mixins/property-effects.js
+++ b/lib/mixins/property-effects.js
@@ -2880,6 +2880,10 @@ export const PropertyEffects = dedupingMixin(superClass => {
           }
           node.setAttribute(name, literal);
         }
+        // support disable-upgrade
+        if (kind == 'attribute' && origName == 'disable-upgrade$') {
+          node.setAttribute(name, '');
+        }
         // Clear attribute before removing, since IE won't allow removing
         // `value` attribute if it previously had a value (can't
         // unconditionally set '' before removing since attributes with `$`