Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks (Part II)

[Wikkler]

Empress Lilly, I apologize for stealing your metaphor.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I think I know the quote you're referring to, Eddie. The second part is correct, but not the first:

"Whom will you be governing by your thoughts, two thousand years hence? Think of it, and you will find that so far from art being immoral, little else except art is moral; that life without industry is guilt, and industry without art is brutality; and for the words "good" and "wicked," used of men, you may almost substitute the words "Makers" and Destroyers." -- Lectures on Art by John Ruskin

Thanks for clarifying that BSDB. Great work! I must admit, I like the butchered quote too, as what you see scrawled on a bathroom partition is usually so direct and to the point! Thanks!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Was one given to Hotel New York?

The Graves Hotel.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The Graves Hotel.

That's no fun. I think "The Apple Factory" would have been more appropriate.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Michael Eisner's thinking was that if you were going to build hotels at WDW, why not first take a shot at having any one of them be a classic if they are done by leading architects. He did not like the bland hotels at Lake buena Vista and so why not take the same budget and roll the dice?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Michael Eisner's thinking was that if you were going to build hotels at WDW, why not first take a shot at having any one of them be a classic if they are done by leading architects. He did not like the bland hotels at Lake buena Vista and so why not take the same budget and roll the dice?

Its a shame that the three most visible are the most blah. Although hiring known architects was not completely new. Welton Becket did do the Contemporary Resort.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

This exhibition here at the Getty called OVERDRIVE actually leans toward Walt Disney inspiring the optimistic utopian design of LAX and other things that architecturally drove the development of LA in the 50's and 60's. I found the video page which is really worth checking out. Welton Becket is big part of that drive, and you can further see in context why he was chosen for the Contemporary.
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/overdrive/video_gallery.html

 

[n2hifi]

Speaking of cool architecture...

Fallingwater Lego Building Kit

Lego Building Kits for Architecture and Landmarks


Why can't we have classic Disney park buildings/structures in Lego kits? Seems like a no brainer.

Darn you! Now I want to go home and see if I have enough grey legos to build the Epcot sphere (was always a Buckminster Fuller fan).

 

[n2hifi]

FWL's buildings always had structural issues. That's why you should never own them. Just admire them.

This is why I always struggled to admire him in Architecture School. I am always to caught up in the Engineering. I like some of his art but even his furniture was too 'function follows form' for me.

If you read Louis Sullivan's Autobiography of an Idea, the idea being that "form ever follows function," it is quite clear that he considered emotion to be a major part of the architectural experience.

If only that idea was more prevalent in today's designs. The thing I have always found interesting is those who feel they should not have to worry about any design constraints. That their 'great talent' is shown on when they are unconstrained. Yet in my mind the best designs are those that are great because they are both beautiful and functional. They work well within the constraints they were formed upon.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

This may seem odd, but after going through modernism and minimal design, the eccentricities of Geary's sculptural buildings (and others) remind me of the excesses of the Queen Anne and Eastlake Victorian era. When the lathe became popular (Eastlake style) you could use a machine to turn something and create ornament and so with great zeal they did. Today, computers can be used to create shapes that otherwise were prohibitive to manufacture and so with glass and steel they do it with great zeal. Like their victorian ancestors, there is little function except to embellish. To me, some of this stuff has the potential to be just as grotesque as an overdone baroque or victorian facade. It is the "blingatecture" of our time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastlake_Movement

 

[Eddie Sotto]

If you have ever wanted to transform your backyard into Frontierland, here's where guys like me (and WDI) get their western lighting!

http://www.lanterns.us/electriclanternphotos.htm

You'll no doubt want this little bad boy!
http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2...de=WKL&Product_Code=F12-F110&Category_Code=EL

 

[Nemo14]

*hides this from my husband*

 

[BalooChicago]

I went to a Gehry presentation at the unveiling of his bandshell in Millennium Park, Chicago. In describing how he generates his form he said (paraphrasing) he made a model, looked at it, folded a plane, looked at it, folded it back, and went "Ok". It's been a while, so that may not be exactly how he described it, but it struck me as very honest. Many architects get overly caught up in theory, when in reality, at the end of the day, it's all about someone looking at a design and going "Ok."

 

[Eddie Sotto]

I went to a Gehry presentation at the unveiling of his bandshell in Millennium Park, Chicago. In describing how he generates his form he said (paraphrasing) he made a model, looked at it, folded a plane, looked at it, folded it back, and went "Ok". It's been a while, so that may not be exactly how he described it, but it struck me as very honest. Many architects get overly caught up in theory, when in reality, at the end of the day, it's all about someone looking at a design and going "Ok."

I've met him in the past and he's a very down to earth, nice guy. I think they just literally poured out some blocks and let them spill out on a table and that was Downtown Disney in Paris. No kidding.

 

[BalooChicago]

I'm not a fan of the new desk at the Inland Steel Building in Chicago which was designed by Gehry. Chunks of iced spilled on a table would describe it pretty well.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

I'm not a fan of the new desk at the Inland Steel Building in Chicago which was designed by Gehry. Chunks of iced spilled on a table would describe it pretty well.

Superman's Fortress of Solitude has been stolen!

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Steve Wynn states the obvious. Quality matters and makes money. I worked for him on the Wynn Resort and he is a true experiential design expert. Great video.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

This is how I view Swalphin. Given their surroundings, they're just goofy looking buildings to me.

. . .

Compared to the Dominick masterpiece of Wilderness Lodge, Swalphin is an embarrassment.

I agree. The Wilderness Lodge is classic, it draws from a history of architecture which took hundreds of years to develop, I kinda see the Swan & Dolphin as counting its architectural ancestors as 1980s/1990's casinos in Vegas, a fad which now looks ugly, rather than slightly interesting. Here's an interesting hotel being built by Universal:

http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_c...sort-will-have-cross-generational-appeal.aspx

Both ergonomic and retro.

The original Seven Seas Hotels, and even the Grand Floridian, all have their own style . . . a lot of the other stuff on property are kinda a tier below them.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I have to say that I find the whole notion of a hotel built into a theme park to be especially exciting. Maybe Eddie's DLP main street hotel was one of the first examples? I would think that one of the big draws for such a project would be that guests could get the feeling of "living" in the theme park.

In terms of cost saving, if Disney had gone with a French hotel built into the back of the French/United Kingdom pavilion, I would think that would allow for a common kitchen that could serve food to both guests inside Epcot at Chefs de France, but also be available to guests staying at the hotel. Who wouldn't want to be able to order something from a French restaurant for room service?

I know that there is a trend away from room service at even fancy hotels, some are opting for 24/7 food courts, but it seems that with iPad technology, and automated delivery systems (perhaps in a futuristic hotel) such a service could be a major draw.

The Animal Kingdom lodge really pushes this concept, but as I remember, you can't exactly walk to the hotel from the park. You'd think that Disney would want to put as many hotels as possible inside of the parks at WDW, if only to save on transportation costs, such as for the water taxis. The international gateway and the whole boardwalk/MGM area seem like a missed opportunity.

The Grand Californian was another stab at this, though you get the feeling that the Grand Californian is kind of hidden from the rest of DCA, and it's Downtown Disney entrance is strip mall like. Given the proximity to Adventureland, I wonder if it would have worked to have a themed tunnel/cave entrance to Adventureland from this area of DCA, though given the length of such a tunnel, no doubt Disney would have insisted that some shops be added.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Tony, like many Imagineers give their lives (and the passion that goes with it) to their careers and so it is vitally important that they are appreciated, as they have dedicated themselves to the preservation and the evolution of the Disney product. We all enjoy that in their collaborative efforts. Club 33 is the highest honor I can think of and so it was great to have done something of that caliber.

Nice to hear that Tony got a good send-off. I'm sure he'll be back in ten or so years for the window on Main Street.

I really hope that Tony writes a book. He has all the info that fans want to know about, and from the perspective of somebody who is both an industry professional and a fan who obviously still loves the company.