In the spring of 1954, Walt Disney approached the wildlife in Texas and television pioneer Jack Raguh about the possibility of building housing for many of the guests that Walt had hoped would flock to his innovative “theme park”, which is then built in Anaheim, California. Since the “imagination” and construction of Disneyland occupied almost every penny he had, Walt approached Jack, hoping that his old friend would be ready to take such a huge risk. Rast was the producer of Lassie, the Lone Ranger and the sergeant. Preston Yukon, popular television programs of the 1950s.
Walt initially went to Hilton executives and other well-known hotel chains, hoping to convince them to fund the construction of a first-class hotel near Disneyland. However, the general consensus was that such an enterprise was too risky. No one was sure that what quickly became known as the “Disney madness” would be successful.
In 1954, Anaheim was a little-known community, mostly conservative of orange groves. The whole city had only seven small motels and hotels that accommodate only 87 guests. At that time, he admitted that he was somewhat skeptical about building in such a small community (about 30,000 people), next to an experimental and still unfinished theme park. His doubts became even more aggravated by the fact that the venture had already been rejected by more than one large hotel chain.
Raster posted a few days with Walt Disney, looking into an area of opportunity for expansion. Legend has it that Walt had tears in his eyes, describing his dream of Disneyland to Route. With a sense of adventure, Rast was convinced that this idea could be successful. Also, when Walt showed such emotion and dedication to his project, how could Red resist?
One of the first discussions between two friends was the location of the hotel. First, we first talked about finding him at the entrance to Disneyland. Walt said, “Jack, our guests are not going to think about the hotel when they begin their visit to Disneyland. Exit from Disneyland. The divorce agreed with Walt’s logic and rented 60 acres of Disney-owned land on West Street directly opposite Disneyland's exit. There he built what became known as the “Official Hotel of the Magic Kingdom”.
On March 18, 1955, Jack Razer, Bonita Granville Raust (his wife) and the Anaheim Mayor Charles Pearson, using a three-handed shovel, performed in the groundbreaking for Disneyland.
The Disneyland Hotel opened on October 5, 1955, almost three months after the opening of Disneyland opened on September 17, 1955. The first guests checked in at the hotel, which has a total of 104 rooms, located in five two-storey complexes, built in the southeast corner of the leased property. These were the rooms in the Southern Garden, which were later called the Eastern Gardens. The first guests at the newly opened hotel were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arnone from Inglewood, California.
Disneyland Hotel was the first major resort to be built in Southern California since the early 1940s. However, the number of available rooms was not enough for unexpected demand, and another 96 units of the same type were added next year in the northeast section of the property. Built by Hodges and Vergrift Construction Company, this new addition was called the North Garden rooms, later renamed Garden Villas.
In the first year, the room rate ranged from $ 9 for a standard room to $ 22 for a luxury apartment. The rooms were advertised as accommodating four people. For an extra adult there was $ 3.
At the same time, when construction began in additional garden rooms in the northeast corner of the property, construction continued in the administrative building, which housed the lobby, restaurants, shops and conference rooms. The gourmet restaurant was opened in the converted house ranch on the property, processed by C. Tony Pereira. This converted home ranch was the original building of the Disneyland administration.
The original design of the hotel, the architectural firm Pereira and Luckman, called for 300 motels and hotel rooms, suites and garden apartments. Also included were plans for three pools, tennis courts, a golf course, cocktail lounges, and four restaurants. The initial drawings are designed for 10 buildings in the southern garden or in the "Oriental Garden" section. However, only five buildings were built.
The opening of the administrative building (which would later become Travelport), and the “official” grand opening for the hotel took place on August 25, 1956. It was a solemn opening dedicated to the stars, which resembled the premiere of Hollywood films. Those present included Walt Disney, Art Label, William Bendix, Alan Ladd, Sue Carroll, Yvonne De Carlo, and Jeanne Crane. Also in attendance were as many as three hundred enthusiasts who watched the tape fire and led a grand tour of the objects.
By 1956, the Disneyland Hotel had 204 rooms and suites. As an added attraction, each garden patio had its own orange tree, reminiscent of the fact that the original property was only a few years old. This was part of the original plans when territories were cleared to build a hotel. At this time, additional amenities were the Coral Club, which included a huge 45-foot, 75-foot fully tiled and heated pool, swamp pools for children of all ages, fountains, sand dunes and a boar zone. The pools were surrounded by guest furniture for guests. and so they can purchase tan Southern California. Daily laundry and dry cleaning services were available, and a doctor and nurse were on call. The Disneyland Hotel also had early golfing with 18 holes and caps.
Guests were able to check into the hotel room from their car, or they could go to the lobby for a more traditional check-in method. There were parking spaces for 1000 cars, and parking was free. In addition, a limousine and a bus were provided. Richfield Oil (also a sponsor of Disneyland Autopia) offered full car assistance. Even in the 1950s, each room was equipped with a TV and air conditioning.
In these early years, participation in Disneyland was not the most optimistic. Even Walt had to marvel at the overwhelming success of his dream. As a result, Anaheim City Council begins reviewing plans for other motels and restaurants. Disneyland proved that all skeptics were wrong, and Disneyland had to make major changes to what was once a sleepy orange grove.
From the start, the Disneyland Hotel was one of Orange County's outstanding shows. Celebrities such as Jack Benny, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Billy Graham and Cary Grant were often spotted at the hotel. These and other celebrities loved bringing their families to stay at the hotel and visit Walt Park. There were also business people coming for breakfast, meetings and meetings. The Disneyland Hotel quickly had a place to view and a place that could be seen.
Room rate in 1957 was advertised from $ 10 to $ 19. Room rates range from $ 22 to $ 25. The hotel’s brochures have an assortment of shops, air-conditioned rooms with a TV in each room, pools of all sizes, a restaurant and a cocktail. There is also a tram stop in Disneyland every five minutes, transportation through the Disneyland station wagon, playgrounds, kindergartens, hairdressers and beauty salons. A doctor, nurse and even dental offices were available on site. Brochures further emphasized the private terrace or patio for each room. Best of all, the Disneyland Hotel was declared the only hotel right in the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland. Also in the late 1950s, the concept of “seasonal” and “off-season” rates appeared for the first time. As a rule, it will cost one dollar or two for a room during holidays and summer months (from the end of May to the middle of September).
By 1959, more than 25 hotels and motels are crowded around Disneyland to take advantage of the spectacular power of drawing the park. By 1960, Anaheim had established itself as the largest city in Orange County, with a population of over 100,000. People traveled from all over the world to visit the “Happiest Place on Earth”. Indeed, Anaheim has magically grown from a quiet, small agricultural community to a Mecca of tourism, and the boom has just begun. As Walt promised on the opening day, the park continued to add attractions (Monorail, snorkeling and the Matterhorn all opened in 1959); and the hotel continued to grow, having more than 300 rooms by 1960. At the same time, a 13,000 square foot conference center was added.
Room prices in 1960 ranged from $ 10 to $ 26 per night during the off-season and from $ 16 to $ 29 per season, holidays and summer months.
At a press conference held in 1960, Jack Roth and Walt Disney announced plans to extend the Disneyland-Alwega Monorail system to link the park with the hotel. Walt had long anticipated a fast transit system for major US cities, and this addition to Monorail would provide a working model. Dick Nunis, who worked his way from a summer job in 1955 to becoming president of Disneyland in 1980, said that Walt saw Monorail as something more than just an attraction; Walt saw it as a car transport system. He wanted to demonstrate his potential as an urban rapid transit, and therefore he envisioned an extension of the monorail to the hotel.
The monorail of the park was closed for construction on April 10, 1961. Disneyland also had to close Autopia to facilitate the installation of new pylons on its grounds. The original 8 / 10th-of-mile track will be extended to 12,300 feet, making it almost two and a half miles at both ends between the park and the hotel. The cost of the extension was 1.9 million dollars. US ($ 500,000 more than the original cost of the monorail when it was installed at Disneyland less than two years before). The construction took more than 118,000 hours of labor, 10,760 tons of sand, 66,700 bags of cement and 702 tons of steel. The new Mark II style trains were introduced for the extended monorail, including the new gold train. The monorail, with its extension to Disneyland, was opened on June 1, 1961.
Other major extensions were planned for the hotel in the early 1960s. They included a new 18-hole golf course, a par-trim, 50-type ride and a miniature golf course with separate holes, named after the attractions of Disneyland. One of the favorites of the course was hole number 5, which featured a mini-copy of the Matterhorn mountain. Also at this time, a helicopter landing pad was installed, linking Los Angeles International Airport with Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel. The new facility has provided an effective transport connection for both business people and tourists. Soon, LAA Airways flew an average of 12 flights a day to and from the airport on its 28-passenger turbo-jets.
In 1961, Wrather became public, offering 350,000 shares of common stock. President and Chairman of the Board of Jack Wrather and Wrather Corporation have grown to four main divisions: Television and Film, Disneyland Hotel, Muzak Corporation (and attenuated meteorological music) and Stephen's Marine, Inc. The company also participated in management services for various other maritime companies.
On the horizon of Anaheim, there also had to be a major change in 1961, when the concept of “construction” replaced the concept of “construction”. An 11-storey high-rise tower was built at the Disneyland Hotel. This added 150 new rooms to the hotel complex. At the time, it was the tallest building in the county and the tallest building in the nation, built using the post-tension method, an elevator plate. Another interesting innovation was the exterior glass elevator, one of the most useful ones built at the time in this country. Its designer, architect Kurt Weber, recalled that the glass elevator offered a dramatic look at the growing Anaheim community. He also received guests at the Top of the Park Lounge, which offers a breathtaking view of the Disneyland. The lounge offers alcohol and nightly entertainment in a specific blues motif. Built for the less adventurous was the Monorail Lounge, which was located next to the Monorail station on the second floor. The land was destroyed for a new tower building in October 1961. The project was completed less than a year later in September 1962. At that time, two more garden buildings were added to the hotel.
In 1962, rates ranged from $ 17 for a double room to $ 53 for two luxury and medium-sized adjoining rooms during vacations and holiday seasons, from $ 10 to $ 47 in the off-season. There were new rates for the tower building. The twin room was priced from $ 24 to $ 35 for a room with two double beds. In the off-season, the towers were priced from $ 20 to $ 26.
Orange County celebrated its 75th birthday in 1964. At a press conference at the Disneyland Hotel, it was announced that Major League Baseball is arriving in Anaheim. The Angels continued to play in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium until their new Anaheim Stadium was built in about two years. During their first year in Anaheim, the angels led the American league, attracting over a million fans.
By 1964, during the holidays and holiday season, the room rate was $ 17 for a single room, $ 53 for an adjacent suite with an average room and $ 30 for a suite only. Winter rates were advertised from $ 10 for a small small room to $ 49 for a neighboring suite with an average room. Tower rooms ranged from $ 24 to $ 35 during peak season and from $ 20 to $ 28 during the off season. The peak-season has now been determined from June 1 to September 15, from December 11 to January 3 and from April 9 to April 24.
Both Disneyland and Disneyland hotels celebrated their “Tencennials”, 10-year successful operations, in 1965. The hotel announced plans for the Tower App, an extension of the existing tower, which will now provide guests with 616 rooms. Six more conference rooms (with a total of up to 28) were added to the complex. These conference rooms will be designed to accommodate from 15 people to two thousand people.
A new shopping area was also built on the hotel’s territory. He was described as glass walls and an elegant grill, sparkling in a lush garden. It was further described as resembling a necklace on green velvet, which contrasts with the beautiful and unusual in a variety of smart, avant-garde specialty stores. Here you could buy aromatic tobacco from Turkey, candles from Mexico, leather from London, toys from the USA, Germany and Japan, and here you could choose from fashion inspired by Paris, Rome and Carnaby Street. The Plaza also has a beauty salon, a travel agency and a dental facility. Both the Tower app and the Plaza mall cost $ 5.5 million as part of the hotel expansion program. In Disneyland, “this is a small world,” was added after successful work at the New York Fair.
Rates in 1966 for what was put up as winter, ranged from $ 15 for a queen-size bed to $ 30 for a suite. During the holidays, rates were $ 20 and $ 35 for the same numbers. The tower now had a North-South design, and the south side was more expensive. Prices on the north side were priced at $ 20 for a queen-size bed to $ 28 for two double beds. The south side went from $ 22 to $ 30 for the same types of beds.
By 1966, Orange County had become America’s tourist center, generating more tourist income than any other US county. Now in Anaheim there were 125 hotels and motels, and the population of more than 150,000 people. Unfortunately, on December 15, 1966, Walt Disney, one of the most influential people in the history of Anaheim, leaves. Walt was a lifelong smoker and developed lung cancer. It was reported that Jack and Bonita Rast were devastated upon hearing the news of Walt's departure. Half of the two pioneers of tourism in Southern California have now disappeared. These two set the course in the 1950s for the future of tourism and conventions in Orange County, thereby changing forever the fate of Anaheim. In 1984, Jack Rast also succumbs to cancer.
Shortly after the death of Walt, Walt Disney began numerous attempts to gain control of the hotel. Finally, in 1988, 33 years after the initial innovation, the Disneyland Hotel would have been part of the empire that Walt had founded.
Just over 11 years old, the Disneyland Hotel has grown from 104 rooms and a small amount of amenities in a large tourist facility with 616 rooms, a variety of restaurants and shops, a full golf course and a full range of conventions and conference rooms. Отель также помог ввести футуристический способ быстрого транзита в виде Монорельса, и отель сыграл важную роль в изменении прежней сельскохозяйственной экономики Анахайма в главном туристическом месте, где он находится сегодня. То, что оказалось сомнительной областью для развития в начале пятидесятых годов, превратилось в одну из самых динамичных областей в стране. Большая часть этих изменений и роста была стимулирована человеком с мышью и дикой темой нефти в Техасе.
Sources:
Калейдоскоп: журнал In-Room Disneyland Hotel and Inn at the Park: весна 1980 года, лето 1980 года и осень 1980 года.
Журнал Disneyland Holiday: различные вопросы с 1957 и 1958 годов.
Журнал Disneyland Vacationland: различные вопросы с 1958 по 1966 год.
Disneyland Line: Vol. 22, № 40, 5 октября 1990 года.
Справочник сотрудников Диснейленда, 1989 год.
Рекламные брошюры «Диснейленд»: 1955, 1957, 1960, 1962 и 1966 гг.
Диснейлендские путеводители: 1955-1965 годы.
Диснейленд Отель Открытки: с 1955 по 1964 год.
Справочник Техаса в Интернете: Некролог Джека Раза.
Мечты к реальности Брет Колсон и Джефф Блэк. Краткая история современного Анахайма, 1997.
Диснейленд: журнал для сотрудников Диснейленда, различные вопросы с 1959 по 1961 год.
Журнал «Check In Magazine»: различные издания с 1965 по 1967 год.
Все источники пришли из моей личной коллекции предметов из Диснейленда, за исключением некролога Джека Рата и книги «Сны к реальности». Замечательные журналы Калейдоскопа и несколько статей из журналов «Праздники и каникулы» пришли от других коллекционеров. Все фотографии также поступали из моей личной коллекции, кроме тех случаев, когда они были отмечены. Я запросил доступ к Архивам Диснея для исследований, но был лишен доступа.
