diff --git a/css/app.css b/css/app.css
index 558d85599..ead4f71a2 100644
--- a/css/app.css
+++ b/css/app.css
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ body {
     max-width: 1200px;
 }
 
+.spinner {
+    float: right;
+}
+
 div, textarea, input, form, span, ul, li, ol, a, button {
     -moz-box-sizing: border-box;
     -webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index 06d3fa16c..246e57e21 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@
         <script src='js/id/ui/flash.js'></script>
         <script src='js/id/ui/save.js'></script>
         <script src='js/id/ui/splash.js'></script>
+        <script src='js/id/ui/spinner.js'></script>
         <script src='js/id/ui/restore.js'></script>
         <script src='js/id/ui/tag_reference.js'></script>
         <script src='js/id/ui/key_reference.js'></script>
diff --git a/js/id/connection.js b/js/id/connection.js
index 380c24b02..ccfb451f7 100644
--- a/js/id/connection.js
+++ b/js/id/connection.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 iD.Connection = function(context) {
 
-    var event = d3.dispatch('auth', 'load'),
+    var event = d3.dispatch('auth', 'loading', 'load', 'loaded'),
         url = 'http://api06.dev.openstreetmap.org',
         connection = {},
         user = {},
@@ -19,19 +19,6 @@ iD.Connection = function(context) {
         return url + '/browse/changeset/' + changesetId;
     };
 
-    function bboxUrl(b) {
-        return url + '/api/0.6/map?bbox=' + [b[0][0],b[1][1],b[1][0],b[0][1]];
-    }
-
-    function bboxFromAPI(box, tile, callback) {
-        function done(err, parsed) {
-             loadedTiles[tile.toString()] = true;
-             delete inflight[tile.toString()];
-             callback(err, parsed);
-         }
-         inflight[tile.toString()] = connection.loadFromURL(bboxUrl(box), done);
-    }
-
     connection.loadFromURL = function(url, callback) {
         function done(dom) {
             return callback(null, parse(dom));
@@ -237,17 +224,8 @@ iD.Connection = function(context) {
         oauth.xhr({ method: 'GET', path: '/api/0.6/user/details' }, done);
     };
 
-    function tileAlreadyLoaded(c) { return !loadedTiles[c.toString()] && !inflight[c.toString()]; }
-
     function abortRequest(i) { i.abort(); }
 
-    function loadTile(e) {
-        function done(err, g) {
-            event.load(err, g);
-        }
-        bboxFromAPI(e.box, e.tile, done);
-    }
-
     connection.loadTiles = function(projection, dimensions) {
         var scaleExtent = [16, 16],
             s = projection.scale(),
@@ -263,15 +241,14 @@ iD.Connection = function(context) {
                 s / 2 - projection.translate()[0],
                 s / 2 - projection.translate()[1]];
 
-        function apiExtentBox(c) {
-            var x = (c[0] * ts) - tile_origin[0];
-            var y = (c[1] * ts) - tile_origin[1];
-            return {
-                box: [
-                    projection.invert([x, y]),
-                    projection.invert([x + ts, y + ts])],
-                tile: c
-            };
+        function bboxUrl(tile) {
+            var x = (tile[0] * ts) - tile_origin[0];
+            var y = (tile[1] * ts) - tile_origin[1];
+            var b = [
+                projection.invert([x, y]),
+                projection.invert([x + ts, y + ts])];
+
+            return url + '/api/0.6/map?bbox=' + [b[0][0], b[1][1], b[1][0], b[0][1]];
         }
 
         _.filter(inflight, function(v, i) {
@@ -282,10 +259,26 @@ iD.Connection = function(context) {
             return !wanted;
         }).map(abortRequest);
 
-        tiles
-            .filter(tileAlreadyLoaded)
-            .map(apiExtentBox)
-            .forEach(loadTile);
+        tiles.forEach(function(tile) {
+            var id = tile.toString();
+
+            if (loadedTiles[id] || inflight[id]) return;
+
+            if (_.isEmpty(inflight)) {
+                event.loading();
+            }
+
+            inflight[id] = connection.loadFromURL(bboxUrl(tile), function(err, parsed) {
+                loadedTiles[id] = true;
+                delete inflight[id];
+
+                event.load(err, parsed);
+
+                if (_.isEmpty(inflight)) {
+                    event.loaded();
+                }
+            });
+        });
     };
 
     connection.userUrl = function(username) {
diff --git a/js/id/ui.js b/js/id/ui.js
index 1cb7bdd22..df9c23eaa 100644
--- a/js/id/ui.js
+++ b/js/id/ui.js
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ iD.ui = function(context) {
             .attr('class', 'button-wrap col1')
             .call(iD.ui.Save(context));
 
+        bar.append('div')
+            .attr('class', 'spinner')
+            .call(iD.ui.Spinner(context));
+
         container.append('div')
             .attr('class', 'map-control zoombuttons')
             .call(iD.ui.Zoom(context));
diff --git a/js/id/ui/spinner.js b/js/id/ui/spinner.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..733df565b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/id/ui/spinner.js
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+iD.ui.Spinner = function(context) {
+    var connection = context.connection();
+
+    return function(selection) {
+        var img = selection.append('img')
+            .attr('src', 'img/loader.gif')
+            .style('opacity', 0);
+
+        connection.on('loading.spinner', function() {
+            img.transition()
+                .style('opacity', 1);
+        });
+
+        connection.on('loaded.spinner', function() {
+            img.transition()
+                .style('opacity', 0);
+        });
+    }
+};