Earfell Tower to be removed

B

Brian Swan

Well-Known Member
Tom said:
It's sort of surreal. DHS (MGM) is the only Disney park I've been alive enough, and consciously aware enough, to experience it's birth and death. I watched all the shows promoting the opening (I was 9 when it opened), and we were there very soon after it opened. I experienced the park at its onset and at its peak, when they added Tower of Terror. I experienced the original backlot tour (the LONG one) and really ate up the "real studio" thing.

And, sadly, I've watched the park be admitted to the ICU and have various life support systems removed one by one.

Yes, I love progress, but it's a shame to see essentially everything that gave the park any character being removed. Lots of nostalgia.
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I can appreciate where you're coming from. I was 12 when MK opened, so I can say I've seen ALL of WDW "from its birth". I never really developed an emotional attachment to DHS, but some of the changes made to MK - and especially to EPCOT - have left me very sad.
 
Gabe1

Gabe1

Ivory Tower Squabble EST 2011. WINDMILL SURVIVOR
brb1006 said:
tip594343LARGE.jpg
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One of my favorite memories of Christmas Vacations over winter break with my kids.

Brian Swan said:
The hat was dead center of a fully operational park. The tower was on a closed-off section of the park. When you don't have to worry about show buildings right next door, and you don't have to have your mess cleaned up by 9:00 the next morning, you can do things a lot faster. I'm guessing it will be weeks before all of the debris is actually removed...
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Cheered with every long step it took to remove that Hat. I knew the tower was going to come down and that I will miss. It was cute and not intrusive. Happy not to have to witness its demise.
 
FerretAfros

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
dstrawn9889 said:
hmm... i was looking for when this chunk of steel came down, so i went to the USGS seismology site... there is ONE seismograph site in FL...
this one ~
IU DWPF
Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA

and i cant see on the helipath exactly, but there was a short term something around 10:50 PM eastern last night?

DWPF.png

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Not to be too much of a party pooper, but I highly doubt that seismic activity was related to the work on the water tower. Without knowing exactly where the sensors are set up, there's nothing that looks like it's a greater magnitude than a large truck driving past the site. When I lived in California for several years, I learned that nothing under about 2.5 was even noticeable, and it really wasn't worth reporting anything less than about 3.5 (other than for purely scientific endeavors). Nothing on this chart appears to be greater than 1.0

The most active period on the graph is from around 9:00-11:00pm. I have a tough time believing that the crew was doing their major demolition project at the same time that they were setting off fireworks around the resort and huge volumes of traffic were passing by along World Drive without noticing the work. They likely didn't arrive on site until around that time, with the bulk of the work taking place after midnight

Furthermore, unlike the video posted earlier in this thread, I suspect this was a highly controlled demolition, due to the buildings and roads surrounding the tower. They most likely removed the 'tank' from the top with a crane and set it on the ground, and then used the crane to slowly lower the support structure to the ground, before dismantling them into pieces to be taken off site. It's not nearly as dramatic as having it tumble over, but would be entirely necessary for the semi-confined location. It's hard for me to believe that type of controlled work would be caught on a seismograph a few miles away

post-41328-Debbie-Downer-gif-tumblr-imgur-vY15.gif
 
Seabasealpha1

Seabasealpha1

Well-Known Member
FerretAfros said:
Not to be too much of a party pooper, but I highly doubt that seismic activity was related to the work on the water tower. Without knowing exactly where the sensors are set up, there's nothing that looks like it's a greater magnitude than a large truck driving past the site. When I lived in California for several years, I learned that nothing under about 2.5 was even noticeable, and it really wasn't worth reporting anything less than about 3.5 (other than for purely scientific endeavors). Nothing on this chart appears to be greater than 1.0

The most active period on the graph is from around 9:00-11:00pm. I have a tough time believing that the crew was doing their major demolition project at the same time that they were setting off fireworks around the resort and huge volumes of traffic were passing by along World Drive without noticing the work. They likely didn't arrive on site until around that time, with the bulk of the work taking place after midnight

Furthermore, unlike the video posted earlier in this thread, I suspect this was a highly controlled demolition, due to the buildings and roads surrounding the tower. They most likely removed the 'tank' from the top with a crane and set it on the ground, and then used the crane to slowly lower the support structure to the ground, before dismantling them into pieces to be taken off site. It's not nearly as dramatic as having it tumble over, but would be entirely necessary for the semi-confined location. It's hard for me to believe that type of controlled work would be caught on a seismograph a few miles away

post-41328-Debbie-Downer-gif-tumblr-imgur-vY15.gif
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There's a second video of a controlled deconstruct I posted up there too... And I agree... Most likely piece by piece...
 
Rescue Ranger

Rescue Ranger

Well-Known Member
Very sad :(
It's too bad they couldn't have moved it somewhere. Even to a resort. It will always be a WDW icon to me. It did not deserve to be destroyed. Unfortunate.

We/they need a nice space dedicated to an enhanced One Man's Dream style exhibit where we can forever get a glimpse of WDW & Disney in years past.
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Rob Paige said:
I agree with you. They have "revamped" it to the point where it is no longer recognizable. I do not view this as an upgrade but rather a destruction of the legend that Walt built. Very disturbing.

That is the problem when you have 30 something year olds running the company. Still too wet behind the (mouse) ears!
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The one that Walt built is still in Burbank. The legend continues. Unless it was from the beyond... Walt had nothing to do with it being in DHS other then an Imagineer tribute to him.
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
image.raw


I suspect it possibly might just be the reversal of the construction. Once the top was gone it would be hard to spot from any direction.

Thanks to Retro Disney World for the photo!
 
G

Goingdown13

Active Member
Brian Swan said:
The hat was dead center of a fully operational park. The tower was on a closed-off section of the park. When you don't have to worry about show buildings right next door, and you don't have to have your mess cleaned up by 9:00 the next morning, you can do things a lot faster. I'm guessing it will be weeks before all of the debris is actually removed...
Click to expand...

All the debris was gone the night of.
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
You're right. That's in 1988 during construction.
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My oldest memory of Disney-MGM is of seeing the Earffel Tower in 1987.

Which allows me to be annoyingly pedantic, and to express my sadness at knowing the Tower is now well and truly removed.
It is the only part of DHS I've seen with my parents, neither of whom I'll see WDW with ever again, and now its gone. :(
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Meeko77 said:
On the MDE website, I don't see this - I see the version with LMA and Earffel Tower removed (and have for the past week or so) - do you know where you found this on the site? Just curious - thanks!
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Entirely possible I visited without clearing cache. Will have to check again.

LMA is gone but not yet ET.
 
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