Building a Contemporary DVC

[mousermerf]

I stayed in the Contemporary North Garden wing a year a go last May when the carpet was being replaced.
I even managed to get a piece of the old carpeting for a souvenir.
You should have seen the look on the carpet installers face when I asked for it.

Well, Scooter, which building is the North building then? Which side does the MK face and which side of Epcot is North?

The South Wing got new carpet and flooring - this is a definate. If the North Wing got any new carpeting or floor, it was not upgraded to the look of the new Contemporary (as seen in the Tower and South Wing) so that carpet you possibly saw installed will still be torn out even if they are just rennovating.

It was not the "new" look of the Contemporary mere days before the North wing closed.

I think you're confusing the North for the South.

 

[Mr Disney]

Ya know kids... half-hearted arguments turn into full blown attacks, turn into evil maleficent-like :fork: meanness... Just wanna point that out :zipit:

 

[Scooter]

Well, Scooter, which building is the North building then? Which side does the MK face and which side of Epcot is North?

The South Wing got new carpet and flooring - this is a definate. If the North Wing got any new carpeting or floor, it was not upgraded to the look of the new Contemporary (as seen in the Tower and South Wing) so that carpet you possibly saw installed will still be torn out even if they are just rennovating.

It was not the "new" look of the Contemporary mere days before the North wing closed.

I think you're confusing the North for the South.

I've stayed at Disney's Contemporary Resort at least once a year for the past 20 years...
...I think I know which is the South Wing and which is the North wing.

 

[unkadug]

Scooter, while I can understand a reason to be apprehensive when it comes to rumours surounding WDW, my question to you is :

You don't believe this rumour.
-or-
You don't want to believe this rumour?

It seems pretty clear that there will be some drastic changes ! :wave:

 

[palminnie]

There are so many things pointing to the fact that the North Wing will be demolished. For one there is a permit listed on one of the other forums which specifically states demolition of an address that appears to be the North Wing. The permits for the Tower and South wing stated rehab, not demolition. There is also a permit for STOL Trailer Storage Compound for DVC at the Contemporary. I was at the Contemporary while the Tower and South Wing were being refurbished and it looked nothing like what is going on in the North Wing. Add to that all of the "rumors" of DVC from CMs. I spoke to one CM last year who informed me about all of the changes coming to the Contemporary (including DVC) and so far everything he told me has happened.

IMO DVC will happen at the Contemporary but it will take some time to demolish the North Wing and then construct a 15 story building.

 

[Master Yoda]

I don't know if this has been brought up yet but wasn't the North wing built at a time when asbestos was a common material used in construction? If this is the case all of that would need to be removed before any substantial demolition could be done. This would explain the appearance of a refurb when it actually would be the first phase of demolition.

 

[WDWFanatic]

I was thinking that to but could not remember when they stopped putting asbestos in buildings. All the vents and stuff does make it look that way. You have to go thru a bunch of decontamination with that so maybe that was part of the pvc boxes they made. like plastic tents for doing the showering off process? I dunno, but good point

 

[Master Yoda]

I was thinking that to but could not remember when they stopped putting asbestos in buildings. All the vents and stuff does make it look that way. You have to go thru a bunch of decontamination with that so maybe that was part of the pvc boxes they made. like plastic tents for doing the showering off process? I dunno, but good point

Production of asbestos products was stopped in 1978 but builders were still permitted to use the remaining asbestos products after this production ban. The use of asbestos continued up until about 1986.

 

[coastermaster83]

Ok idk if any of you have seen it or not but the modern marvels dvd on disney is amazing they talk about the contemporary rooms being build off site and then trucked in and slid into there assigned hole in the main frame so Im thinking why cant they just reverse this process and slide them back out and take them off site to demo them.

 

[Disneys America]

Ok idk if any of you have seen it or not but the modern marvels dvd on disney is amazing they talk about the contemporary rooms being build off site and then trucked in and slid into there assigned hole in the main frame so Im thinking why cant they just reverse this process and slide them back out and take them off site to demo them.

I've read that due to settling, rust and other reasons that it isn't possible. Don't kow how true it is, though.

 

[freediverdude]

coastmaster83, I heard that that was the actual plan when it was first built- that they could in fact slide rooms out and refurbish them and put them back in. Unfortunately I've also heard that the buildings have settled somewhat, enough to make removal that way impossible now. It was a really good idea, though. They would have just had to find some way to build it on a platform that wouldn't crack or settle (would be difficult).

 

[Master Yoda]

Ok idk if any of you have seen it or not but the modern marvels dvd on disney is amazing they talk about the contemporary rooms being build off site and then trucked in and slid into there assigned hole in the main frame so Im thinking why cant they just reverse this process and slide them back out and take them off site to demo them.

The rooms you speak of are in the main tower. The rooms in question are in the north wing of the resort and they were not built in the same manor as the tower. They were built just like every other building is put up today.

 

[Scooter]

I don't know if this has been brought up yet but wasn't the North wing built at a time when asbestos was a common material used in construction? If this is the case all of that would need to be removed before any substantial demolition could be done. This would explain the appearance of a refurb when it actually would be the first phase of demolition.

OR it could be the first phase of a refurb:animwink:

 

[Master Yoda]

OR it could be the first phase of a refurb:animwink:

Sure that is possible but then why the permit for demolition? The plans mistakenly leaked to the public were also legit. Virtually all record of this wings existence has been deleted from the DRC database. To me this adds up to at least a partial demolition.

It seems like the only thing really pointing toward a refurb was the replacement of the carpet and the wallpaper last year. The port a potties against the wall don't mean much. Those are changed quite frequently and can be moved quite easily. We really don't have any evidence that furniture has not been removed and it is also feasible that they intended to leave it in the building for demo rather that pay to have it removed only to be thrown away at a later date or sold to Mousesurplus.

 

[Slowjack]

My life's work is fighting this rumor...

Not the one about DVC coming to Contemporary, mind you (I have nothing to add to that)...the one about the Contemporary's modular design including the idea to refurb it by removing the rooms. In this case we have a variant...if we need to remove the building, could we just take it apart with allen wrenches like a desk from Ikea? No. The main tower was built using the modular technique, but once everything was welded together it is no easier to dismantle than any other building.

I've read that due to settling, rust and other reasons that it isn't possible. Don't kow how true it is, though.

Not true. I'm not saying settling or rust hasn't occurred, but no, it was never possible nor was it designed to be possible to reverse the construction process and take the rooms out.

 

[XS-Spence]

Just to dispel the rampant rumors on the pre-fab rooms...

ALL of the rooms in the Contemporary and Polynesian Resort (with the exception of Poly's new buildings) were constructed off-site and then inserted into their respective structures. They were both contracted and constructed by US Steel. They were never meant to be removed. I've confirmed that with several of Contemporary's engineers, several of which have been there since construction in '68. The resort is also built on a floating foundation which compensates for settling. The main reason for this is the Monorail track which goes through the 5th floor. Settling would never have been an issue. I got to see the skeleton of the prefab rooms while they were constructing the new 12th Floor Atrium Club lounge. They were basically a steel floor with a layer of concrete (VERY cracked, it had to be re-poured.) and steel supports for the walls. There are several high tension cables holding up the rooms. If you're ever on 12, you can see the wood slats at an angle they built around the cables they couldn't remove between former rooms 4837 & 4838.

I'm not going to comment anymore on the North Wing. I will say, though, that it's true the cast members at the resort aren't told anything about the construction, but the ones who ask the right people the right questions get answers.

 

[Rayray]

That was one of the first examples of modular construction.

Didn't mold become a problem between concrete walls though? I thought I remember someone saying that.

 

[csaribay]

If anyone was curious about the prefab process, there's a neat little video on YouTube that was distributed promotionally by US Steel many years ago. As XS-Spence mentioned, all rooms at the Contemporary were pre-fabbed offsite, including those in the garden wings. They were not conventionally erected.

 

[minnie61650]

My source of info is firsthand experience, and the person in charge of coordinating the rehab of the Contemporary resort with Buena Vista Construction Company. His job was officially eliminated in September (he moved to Guest Relations afterward).

The room numbers from the North Garden (all the 7000's and 8000's) have been COMPLETLEY removed from our and central reservation's systems (never happened during the rest of the rehab). If any rehab had begun on the North, there would've been rooms there coming back on to sell already. They have absolutely NO reason to close the entire building at once for the kind of rehab that was done to the rest of the resort. When they were refurbing the South, (and the Tower for that matter) there would be rooms in one section on the bottom floor that were finished being refurbed, second floor that were being worked on, and top floor that hadn't been touched. You don't fence off half of the parking lot for something like that. NGB has essentially been quarantined.

I also had to help remove all of Front Desk & Bell Service's items out of storage in the North and move them over to the South Garden, while South Garden was still under rehab. Now tell me, WHY would we move items from a storage room in a building that hasn't been touched, into a building that was then in the process of being refurbished?

Consider the extensive site prep work that will have to be done for any new building going into that site. Sight lines have to be observed. Local ecology has to be taken into mind. Ground prep has to be done. That takes a lot of time, putting it in line with the 2008-09 time line you're suggesting.

You know, I can argue this with people that are on the outside until I'm purple in the face as the jackets on the front desk. I could just let this go and see where all the wild speculation goes. I'm honestly just trying to be informative. I personally would've LOVED to have kept the resort buildings the same as they were when it was opened. I don't like the idea of DVC being there, or the idea of another 15 story building being built beside the existing Tower. Knowing what I know, I swear, if North Garden Building isn't rubble by at least February, I'll eat my nametag, and you can hold me to that.

Any updates?

Anyone?

 

[Thelazer]

All I can say is, I've heard a little bird QUITE high up in the DVC ranks talk about this project and yes it is true.