WALT DISNEY WORLD |
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) ) (Oct. 1, 1971–Present) BACK STORY: Largest recreational resort in the world with four theme parks. Located in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Florida, outside Orlando city limits. Walt Disney focused most of his attention on the “Florida Project” both before and after his participation at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, but he died on December 15, 1966, almost five years before his vision was realized. To avoid land speculation, Disney created dummy corporations to acquire 27,400 acres of land. The first five-acre lot was bought on October 23, 1964, by the Ayefour Corporation (a pun on Interstate 4). Another dummy corporation was RETLAW (WALTER backwards). A press conference was organized for November 15, 1965. At the presentation, Walt Disney explained the plans for the site, including EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), which was to be a futuristic city. Plans for EPCOT would drastically change after Disney’s death. EPCOT became EPCOT Center, the resort’s second theme park, opening in 1982. Concepts from the original idea of EPCOT would be integrated into the community of Celebration much later.Walt died December 15, 1966 before his vision was realized. His brother Roy Disney postponed his retirement to oversee construction of the resort, passing away in December 1971, barely two months after it opened. Construction began in 1967 and the park opened on October 1, 1971, as the Magic Kingdom, and since has added Epcot (Oct. 1, 1982), Disney-MGM Studios (May 1, 1989), and Disney’s Animal Kingdom (April 22, 1998). The resort contains two water parks, six golf courses, a sports complex, an auto race track, twenty resort hotels and numerous shopping, dining, and entertainment. It even has its own fire department and a massive public transit system of buses and monorails. The 20,000 acre property is the largest theme park resort in the world, although over the past decade significant land has been sold off for housing and other developments, including land now occupied by the Disney-built (but not owned) community of Celebration. Most photos available for purchase as enlargements; email your request. To view photos, allow popups in your web browser & click on thumbnails below. |
January 1972 |
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February–April 1972 |
) Feb. 1972 |
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) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
) March 1972 |
June–October 1972 |
) June 1972 |
) June 1972 |
) June 1972 |
) June 1972 |
) June 1972 |
) Oct. 1972 |
1974–1977 |
) March 1974 |
) March 1974 |
) March 1974 |
) 1975 |
) April 1975 |
) April 1975 |
) April 1975 |
) April 1975 |
) April 1976 |
) April 1977 |
Summer 1978 |
) Aboard the Monorail, Summer 1978 |
) Summer 1978 |
) Summer 1978 |
) Summer 1978 |
1980’s |
) Empress Lilly, April 1981 |
) Empress Lilly, April 1981 |
) Empress Lilly, April 1981 |
2000+ |
) Animal Kingdom Resort, June 2002 |
) Wilderness Lodge Resort, June 2002 |
) Wilderness Lodge Resort, June 2002 |
) Wilderness Lodge Resort, June 2002 |
) Wilderness Lodge Resort, June 2002 |
) Wilderness Lodge Resort, June 2002 |
) Wilderness Lodge Resort, June 2002 |
Contemporary Hotel |
) Feb. 1972 |
) June 1972 |
) Top of the World, Contemporary Hotel, Summer 1978 |
) Trini Lopez, Top of the World, Contemporary Hotel, Summer 1978 |
) Trini Lopez, Top of the World, Contemporary Hotel, Summer 1978 |
) Trini Lopez, Top of the World, Contemporary Hotel, Summer 1978 |
) Trini Lopez, Contemporary Hotel, Summer 1978 |
) Trini Lopez, Contemporary Hotel, Summer 1978 |
) April 1981 |
) Jan. 2010 |
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