Early 1970s Tomorrowland

[EpcotMark]

I have been thinking a lot the last few days of the early days of the Magic Kingdom. Especially tomorrowland. Does anyone have any memories of Tomorrowland when it first opened? I hear there were only two attractions open, The race cars, and the Skyway.

So the Peoplemover was not even there. They must have had some of the infrastucture built anyways in anticipation of it opening a few years later?

 

[Tuvalu]

Pictures from July 1972

Entry to Tomorrowland

No infrastructure for anything other than race cars and skyway

The walled off area in back is where Space Mountain was built.

The next two pics were taken from the skyway.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Didn't realize how much of the contemporary you could see back then

 

[EpcotMark]

Pictures from July 1972

Entry to Tomorrowland
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No infrastructure for anything other than race cars and skyway
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The walled off area in back is where Space Mountain was built.
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The next two pics were taken from the skyway.
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Nice pictures! I cant get over how much open space I see behind the skyway going through.

 

[Captain Barbossa]

Pictures from July 1972

Entry to Tomorrowland
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No infrastructure for anything other than race cars and skyway
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The walled off area in back is where Space Mountain was built.
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The next two pics were taken from the skyway.
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Great pictures! Thanks for sharing!

 

[marni1971]

 

[John park hopper]

Great pictures, I was there in 1972. I forgot how open it was and uncrowded and lots of benches to sit; interesting to see how people were dressed back then. Brings back memories

 

[marni1971]

The Contemporary was meant to be the backdrop for the Raceway; originally Space Port (Mountain) would have blocked the view from the back of the Skyway station all the way to the If You Had Wings exit area.

 

[steve2wdw]

I have been thinking a lot the last few days of the early days of the Magic Kingdom. Especially tomorrowland. Does anyone have any memories of Tomorrowland when it first opened? I hear there were only two attractions open, The race cars, and the Skyway.

So the Peoplemover was not even there. They must have had some of the infrastucture built anyways in anticipation of it opening a few years later?

That is true....just two attractions, but America the Beautiful (Circle Vision 360) and Flight to the Moon were open before the end of the year. The addition to the southern, Circle Vision building, was getting started too (future home of "if You Had Wings"). Although the PeopleMover station was still a few years away, the sections of track lining the main avenue of Tomorrowland had been included in the original construction. They looked like unused balconies on each side. They were capped off at the end of each of the main buildings.

 

[marni1971]

So much of Tomorrowland was almost made up as they went along...

Circlevision was meant to be a carousel theatre.

Space Port was meant to be where the carousel theatre went

Wedway station was mean to be inside Space Port

Wedway was meant to travel up to 20k and back

If You Had Wings wasn’t meant to be...

 

[Goofyernmost]

How things change... and that was the Disney that was all about show. However, if a tile is missing now when a park is opened the world comes to an end and Walt's insistence on show is violated. All that was missing in DL when it opened was almost anything to do, and no water fountains. Other then that (and about a million other things) all was perfect. The same thing applied to WDW, but, it was a by-god low admission price.

Kind of makes me happy that I never went until 1983. I never got to see all that perfection from the past.

 

[marni1971]

How things change... and that was the Disney that was all about show. However, if a tile is missing now when a park is opened the world comes to an end and Walt's insistence on show is violated. All that was missing in DL when it opened was almost anything to do, and no water fountains. Other then that (and about a million other things) all was perfect. The same thing applied to WDW, but, it was a by-god low admission price.

Kind of makes me happy that I never went until 1983. I never got to see all that perfection from the past.

Yes, expectations today are far higher due to the bar that’s been set since the mid 70s.

 

[Bender123]

Yes, expectations today are far higher due to the bar that’s been set since the mid 70s.

I get the feeling many people don't really understand that many of us Disney old timers don't really hate current WDW, so much as we are disappointed in what it is vs what it was supposed to be. Most of the criticism comes from a true love for the place...

 

[marni1971]

I get the feeling many people don't really understand that many of us Disney old timers don't really hate current WDW, so much as we are disappointed in what it is vs what it was supposed to be. Most of the criticism comes from a true love for the place...

Big “like.”

I think goofy was trying to be sarcastic though.

 

[PasstheDisneyPlease]

Thanks for posting these! I love the "living history" of WDW!

 

[John park hopper]

Bender123 you hit the nail on the head maybe for us who knew WDW in the early days its a curse of remember when. There are still many aspects of WDW I love

 

[ppete1975]

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Marni showing off again Wow these are clear pics

 

[marni1971]

That is true....just two attractions, but America the Beautiful (Circle Vision 360) and Flight to the Moon were open before the end of the year. The addition to the southern, Circle Vision building, was getting started too (future home of "if You Had Wings"). Although the PeopleMover station was still a few years away, the sections of track lining the main avenue of Tomorrowland had been included in the original construction. They looked like unused balconies on each side. They were capped off at the end of each of the main buildings.

Indeed. Here’s the extent of the WEDway rotunda circa 1971/2

 

[EpcotMark]

Indeed. Here’s the extent of the WEDway rotunda circa 1971/2

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Is that the Mission to Mars building? Starlight Cafe to the back and right?

 

[steve2wdw]

Is that the Mission to Mars building? Starlight Cafe to the back and right?

It's actually both buildings....from the angle of the photo, the ladder at the end of the PeopleMover track is just above the current Buzz entrance. Follow that piece of track to the light pole, and the PM takes a hard left turn. The balance of PM track you can see is the Flight to the Moon building with the original Tomorrowland Terrace at the far right. All the palms surround the area that will eventually be the StarJets, PM station, and Lunching Pad.