WOL Demo coming ..

[DreamfinderGuy]

An empty lot is a lot cheaper to maintain than an existing building. (or the building is in such bad and neglected shape inside that tearing it down is the only option.)

As far as I’m aware there are no current structural issues with the building. They redid the ceiling in there again just last year (but I think that was more because of an obligation from Balfour iirc).

Wonders in its current state is a shell with steel frames for the Play Pavilion up. To reuse it would be relatively simple, but would be another gut job. I am aware there are plans for construction at the Wonders site but nothing more than that. I was really, truly hoping it was for another gut job.

 

[monothingie]

Agree, just seems odd they wouldn’t realize it was in such rough shape before completely redoing the exterior.

With all the money they just spent on this building, without ever using it, you’d think they’d try to reuse it like they did with Guardians, even if just for a queue space with a new show building behind it.

Other than the roof, I don't think much was done. But something as simple as not running HVAC in the building for a couple of months, may generate so much mold contamination that the only option is demolition.

 

[WaluigiTime]

The Horizons building was only 37 square ft. bigger than Wonders of Life and Mission Space is really small... just sayin.


....I know it will never happen

 

[virtualangel]

i guess i can say i heard this awhile back and didnt believe it bc epcot likes to leave abandoned stuff up lol

 

[jah4955]

An empty lot is a lot cheaper to maintain than an existing building. (or the building is in such bad and neglected shape inside that tearing it down is the only option.)

Hoping they're tearing down World Showplace too?

 

[jah4955]

I must unfortunately chime in here and share that yes, for several reasons I am inclined to believe this is happening soon. I was hoping this would be another gut job but if other people are hearing the whole building… :/

I always loved the WoL building...until they redid the roof . It's that plus two plain show buildings. Put it out of its nearly-two-decade-long misery! Besides, Disney's been on quite the demo-bender lately. Might as well get all possible demo for the foreseeable future "out of the way" in one fell swoop

 

[ToTBellHop]

I mean they are running out of places to build DVC towers.

 

[jah4955]

The Horizons building was only 37 square ft. bigger than Wonders of Life and Mission Space is really small... just sayin.

With a cleared lot they will have a "clear palate" to do something really nice (instead of shoe-horning something that won't quite work as good as if it had its own custom building (a notable exception: GG: I always saw the old Universe of Energy building as impressive...and yet so large and square that the format of the attraction doesn't suffer (from what I can tell on videos...haven't been yet) from incorporating the old building.

 

[Biff215]

Hoping they're tearing down World Showplace too?

They actually use that though, plus it’s much less visible. Demolishing WoL officially kills any past plans and rids Disney of any associated maintenance costs, plain and simple. Hopefully we get something brand new in the future but Imagination needs to come first.

 

[jah4955]

They actually use that though, plus it’s much less visible. Demolishing WoL officially kills any past plans and rids Disney of any associated maintenance costs, plain and simple. Hopefully we get something brand new in the future but Imagination needs to come first.

Good point...I realize that they rent it out quite a bit ($$$$$). I was just (humorously) daydreaming for World Showplace to be replaced by a new country(ies) ...I'd even settle for an expansion of an existing country. I see World Showplace the same way most seem to see the World Celebration (haven't seen for myself yet): its plainness way too beneath Disney's (historical) "standards."

 

[Timothy_Q]

In a perfect world we'd get an an Inside Out dark ride here plus Figment 4.0 built concurrently

 

[virtualangel]

Hoping they're tearing down World Showplace too?

not happening anytime soon

 

[HauntedPirate]

Without major structural or other unseen issues (mold infestation), demo'ing WoL = stepping over dollars to pick up pennies.

 

[Streetway Again]

not happening anytime soon

Don’t they use that building still? WOL was just rotting

 

[networkpro]

In a perfect world we'd get an an Inside Out dark ride here plus Figment 4.0 built concurrently

I would hope that inside out wouldn't be used at all.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Don’t they use that building still? WOL was just rotting

WoL is still sort of being used. Only the dome and Cranium were surrendered to WDI, the rest is partitioned off from the inside. That also means any WoL demo project would have to include relocating the storage facilities currently inside Body Wars

 

[jah4955]

WoL is still sort of being used. Only the dome and Cranium were surrendered to WDI, the rest is partitioned off from the inside. That also means any WoL demo project would have to include relocating the storage facilities currently inside Body Wars

based on the urban explorer videos, much of the building has been a glorified storage area for a very long time. (ps: I love the "inside info" you share @DreamfinderGuy

 

[jah4955]

Yeah, it's very unusual for Disney to demo something until they have plans to replace it.

That's the implicit hope if they are about to demo...or it could be like the 20K site and sit empty for years before anything happens....

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

based on the urban explorer videos, much of the building has been a glorified storage area for a very long time.

As Food and Wine got bigger and bigger they started eating up more unused space in Wonders to park stuff. In 2012 they blew out the simulator bay walls in Body Wars to create a whole Festival warehouse. 2016 saw a formal redevelopment of the queue to make it a more suitable storage location. They got used to having it and then essentially refused to give it up when WDI came asking to use it for attractions space again.

(ps: I love the "inside info" you share @DreamfinderGuy

For legal purposes I just know too much about Wonders and talk to people who talk to people. A lot of what I share are things that would be easy educated guesses if you piece enough things together.

 

[Agent H]

I would hope that inside out wouldn't be used at all.

Why not?