During the spring of 1954, Walt Disney approached the Texas oil wildcatter and television pioneer Jack Wrather concerning the possibility of building accommodations for the many guests that Walt hoped would flock to his innovative "theme park," then under construction in Anaheim, California. Since Wrather was the producer of Lassie, The Lone Ranger, and "Welcome approached Jack, Walt approached Jack, hoping that his long-time friend would be willingly willing to take such a huge risk. Sgt. Preston of the Yukon, popular 1950s television programs.
Originally, Walt had approached Hilton executives and other well-known hotel chains, hoping to convince them to finance the construction of a first-class hotel next to Disneyland., The general consensus was that such a venture was too risky. certainly known as "Disney & # 39; s folly" would be successful.
In 1954, Anaheim was a little-known community, largely conservative of orange groves. Wrather admitted at the time that he was somewhat skeptical about building in such seven small motels and hotels, accommodating only a total of 87 guests. a small community (of approxim 30,000), next to an experimental and yet unfinished theme park. His doubts are further increased by the fact that the risky venture had already been turned down by more than one major hotel chain.
With a sense of adventure, Wrather became convinced that the Walt had it in the area & # 39; s potential for expansion. Legend has it that Walt had tears in his eyes while describing his dream of Disneyland to Wrather. Also, how could Wrather have resisted?
Walt said, "Jack, our guests are not going to be thinking about a hotel when they start their own friends was there. Visit to Disneyland. Disneyland exit. "Wrather agreed with Walt 's logic and leased 60 acres of Disney-owned land on West Street directly away from the Disneyland exit. There he built what was to become known as the" Official Hotel of the Magic Kingdom. "
On March 18, 1955, Jack Wrather, Bonita Granville Wrather (his wife), and Anaheim Mayor Charles Pearson, using a three-handled shovel, officiated at the groundbreaking for the Disneyland Hotel.
The Disneyland Hotel opened on October 5, 1955, nearly three months after Disneyland & # 39; s lived opened grand opening on July 17, 1955. The first guests registered at a hotel having only 104 guest rooms located in five two-story complexes, built Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arnone of Inglewood, California was to be the first guests at the newly opened hotel.
The Disneyland Hotel was the first major resort to be built in Southern California since early early 1940. The number of available rooms quickly proved to be insufficient for the unexpected demand, and 96 more units of the same type were added added The following year on the property & # 39; s northeast section. Built by Hodges and Vergrift Construction Company, this new addition was called the North Garden rooms, later renamed the Garden Villas.
During the first year, room rates ranged from $ 9 for a standard room to $ 22 for deluxe quarters.
The Gourmet Restaurant was opened in held at the northeastern corner of the property, construction was under way on the Administration Building, which would house a lobby, restaurants, shops, and meeting rooms. a converted ranch house on the property, redesigned by C. Tony Pereira. This converted ranch house has been the original Disneyland administration building.
Also included were plans for three swimming pools, tennis courts, a golf course, cocktail lounges, and four restaurants. The original blueprints designed a total of 10 buildings in the South Garden or Oriental Garden section., Only five buildings were actually built.
Celebrities in Hollywood movie premiere. Celebrities in the opening of the administration building (which would later be the Travelport), and the "official" grand opening for the hotel was on August 25, 1956. It was a star-studded grand opening celebration that resembled a hollywood movie premiere. attendance included Walt Disney, Art Linkletter, William Bendix, Alan Ladd, Sue Caroll, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Jeanne Crain. Also in attendance was as many as three hundred enthusiasts, observing the ribbon - cutting and taking a grand tour of the facilities.
This is been part a an additional amenity at this time was the Coral Club which included a huge 45-foot by 75-foot completely tiled and heated swimming pool, wading pools for children of all ages , fountains, sandlots, and a cabana area. The pools were surrounded by lounge furniture for guests & relaxation and so that it might get acquire a Southern California tan. One-day laundry and dry cleaning services were available, and a physician and nurse was on call. An 18-hole putting greens and shuffleboard courts were also early inclusions at the Disneyland Hotel.
Also, it was parking spaces for 1000 cars, and parking was free. Also, limo and bus service was provided. Richfield Oven (also the Disneyland sponsor of Autopia) offered full automotive care. Even in the 1950s, every room was equipped with a television set and air conditioning.
As a result, the City Council of Anaheim begins reviewing plans for other motels and restaurants. Disneyland had proven all the skeptics to be wrong, and Disneyland was destined to bring major changes to what happened a sleepy, orange grove community.
From the beginning, the Disneyland Hotel was one of the outstanding show places of Orange County. Celebrities such as Jack Benny, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Billy Graham, and Cary Grant were many spotted at the hotel. These and other celebrities enjoyed bringing friendly families The Disneyland Hotel quickly had the place to see and the place to be seen.
Room rates in 1957 were advertised from $ 10 to $ 19. Suiteswwent for between $ 22 and $ 25. The hotel & # 39; s brochures boasted of an assortment of shops, air conditioned rooms, television in every room, pools of all sizes, The brochures further emphasized a disneyland station wagon, playgrounds, childcare facilities, barber and beauty shops. Also in the late 1950s, the concept of "seasonal" and "non-seasonal" rates first appeared Typically, it would cost a dollar or two more for a room during the holidays and summer months (late May through mid September).
By 1959, over 25 hotels and motels had crowded around Disneyland to take advantage of the Park & # 39; s spectacular drawing power. By 1960, Anaheim had established itself as Orange County & # 39; s largest city, with a population in excess of 100,000 As Walt had promised "Happiest Place on Earth." Indeed, Anaheim had magically grown from a quiet, small agricultural community into a Mecca of tourism, and the boom had only begun. and the hotel continued to grow, having more than 300 rooms by 1960. A 13,000-square foot convention center was also added at that time.
Rates for rooms in 1960 ranged from $ 10 to $ 26 a night during the off-season and from $ 16 to $ 29 in season, the holidays and the summer months.
Walt had long envisioned a rapid transit system for major US cities, and this addition to to the disneyland-Alweg Monorail system to the extent of the extension of 1960, Jack Wrather and Walt Disney announced plans for the extension Dick Nunis, who worked his way way from a summer job in 1955 to become the president of Disneyland in 1980, stated that Walt saw the Monorail as more than just an an attraction; Walt saw it as aworkworkable transport system. He wanted to demonstrate its potential as urban rapid transit, and so he envisioned the monorail.
The park & # 39; s monorail was closed for construction on April 10, 1961. Disneyland also had to closed Autopia to facilitate the installation of new pylons through its grounds. The original 8 / 10th-of-a-mile 12,300 feet, making it nearly a two-and-a-half mile round-trip journey between the park and the hotel. The cost of the extension was $ 1.9 million ($ 500,000 more than the original cost of the Monorail when it was installed The construction required more than 118,000 hours of labor, 10,760 tonnes of sand, 66,700 bags of cement and 702 tons of steel. New style Mark II trains were introduced for the extended Monorail including a new gold colored train. The Monorail, with its extension to the Disneyland Hotel, reopened on June 1, 1961.
They are a new golf complex featuring an 18-hole, par-three course, a 50-tee driving range, and a miniature golf course with the individual holes named after Disneyland attractions The new facility was hole # 5, which featured a mini replica of the Matterhorn Mountain. Also added at this time was a helicopter landing pad, linking Los Angeles International Airport with Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel. transportation link for both business people and tourists. Soon, LAA Airways was operating an average of 12 flights per day to and from the airport in its 28-passenger, turbo-jet copter liners.
In 1961, the Wrather Corporation went public, offering 350,000 shares of common stock. President and Chairman of the Board Jack Wrather and the Wrather Corporation had grown to include four major divisions: Television and motion pictures, the Disneyland Hotel, the Muzak Corporation (and The attenuated meteorological music, and Stephen 's Marine, Inc. The company also was involved in management services for various other marine based businesses.
The anaheim skyline was also about to undergo a concept of "building up" replaced the concept of "building out." At the Disneyland Hotel, an 11-story, high-rise tower was built. Another exciting innovation was an external, another guest rooms to the hotel complex. s tallest building and the nation & # 39; s tallest building constructed utilizing the post-tension, lift-slab method. Its designer, architect Kurt Weber, recalled that the glass elevator offered a dramatic view of the growing community of Anaheim. It also took guests to the top of the Park Lounge , which featured breathtaking views of Disneyland. a Constructed for the adventurous was the Monorail Lounge which was located next to the Monorail station on the second floor level. Ground had been broken for the new tower building in October of 1961. The project was completed less than a year later in September of 1962. At that time, two additional Garden structures were also added to the hotel.
In 1962, rates ranged from $ 17 for a room with a twin bed to $ 53 for two deluxe and medium adjoining rooms during vacation and holiday seasons, $ 10 to $ 47 during off to season. A twin-bedded room was priced from $ 24 vacation rate up to $ 35 for a room with two double beds. Off-season, tower rooms were priced from $ 20 to $ 26.
Orange County celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1964. At the press conference held at the Disneyland Hotel, the announcement was made that Major League Baseball was coming to Anaheim. The Angels would continue to play in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium until their new Anaheim stadium was During their first year in Anaheim, the Angels would lead the American League in attendance, attracting over one million fans.
By 1964, during vacation and holiday season, room rates were $ 17 for a single room, $ 53 for an adjoining deluxe room with a medium room, and $ 30 for a deluxe room alone. Winter rates were advertised from $ 10 for a single small room to $ 49 for an adjoining deluxe with medium room. Peak-season now was defined as from June 1 to September 15, December 11 to January 3, and April 9 to April 24.
Both the Disneyland Hotel and Disneyland celebrated their "Tencennials," 10-years of successful operations, in 1965. The hotel announced plans for the Tower Annex, an expansion to the existing tower, which would now give the hotel 616 guest rooms. six conference rooms (bringing the total to 28) would conference rooms would be designed to hold from people to two thousand people.
It was described as having glass walls and graceful grillwork, gleaming in a lush garden setting. It was further described as resembling a necklace on green velvet, contcontaining the beautiful and unusual in a score of smart, avant-garde specialty shops. Here one can buy aromatic tobaccos from Turkey, candles from Mexico, leathers from London, toys from the US, Germany and Japan, and here one can select from fashions inspired in Paris, Rome and Carnaby St. The Plaza also features a beauty shop, a travel agency, and a dental facility. Both the Tower Annex and the Plaza Shopping Center cost $ 5.5 million as part of the Hotel Expansion Program. At Disneyland, "it & # 39; sa small world "was added after its successful run at the New York World.
During Temporary Hospitality in Temporary Hospitality The Tower now had had a $ 20 and $ 35 for the same rooms. The South side went for $ 22 to $ 30 for the queen-sized bed up to $ 28 for two queen-sized bed up to $ 28 for two double beds. same bed types.
By 1966, Orange County had had the tourist hub of America, manufacturing tourist income greater than any other US county. Anaheim now had 125 hotels and motels and a population of over 150,000. Sadly on December 15, 1966, Walt Disney, one of the Most influential men in Anaheim & # 39; s history, passing away. Walt had been a lifelong smoker and had developed lung cancer. It was reported that Jack and Bonita Wrather was devastated upon hearing news of Walt 's passing. Half of the Two pioneers of tourism in Southern California was now gone. Jack Wrather would also succumb to cancer in 1984 .
Finally in 1988, 33 years after the original groundbreaking, the Disneyland Hotel would have been part of the empire that Walt had founded.
In the age of 11 years, the Disneyland Hotel had grown from 104 guest rooms and a smattering of amenities into a major tourist facility with 616 guest rooms, ample dining and shopping facilities, a full golf complex, and a full range of convention and What appeared to be a questionable I am afraid that I am afraid that I can not understand what the situation is. Area for development in the early fifties into the country. A large part of this change and growth has been stimulated by a man with a mouse and a Texas oil wildcatter.
Sources:
Kaleidoscope: The In-Room Magazine of Disneyland Hotel and Inn at the Park: Spring 1980, summer 1980, and fall 1980.
Disneyland Holiday Magazine: various issues from 1957 and 1958.
Disneyland Vacationland Magazine: various issues from 1958 to 1966.
Disneyland Line: Vol. 22, No. 40, October 5, 1990.
The Disneyland Hotel Employee & # 39; s Handbook, 1989.
Disneyland Hotel advertising brochures: 1955, 1957, 1960, 1962, and 1966.
Disneyland Guidebooks: 1955 to 1965.
Disneyland Hotel Postcards: 1955 to 1964.
The Handbook of Texas Online: The Jack Wrather obituary.
Dreams to Reality by Bret Colson and Geoff Black. A brief history of modern day Anaheim, 1997.
Disneylander: The magazine for Disneyland employees, various issues from 1959 to 1961.
Check In Magazine: Various editions from 1965 to 1967.
All photos came from my personal collection of Disneyland Hotel items with the exception of the Jack Wrather obituary and the book Dreams to Reality. The wonderful Kaleidoscope magazines and several articles from Holiday and Vacationland magazines came from other collectors. collection except where noted. I requested access to the Disney Archives for research purposed but was denied access.
