EPCOT v. Epcot Center (good, good stuff)

[General Grizz]

You know that monorail? That Contemporary Resort? Those Golf Courses?

Guess what, folks: That's EPCOT - an experimental prototype community of tomorrow.

But you're probably asking, "Wait a second...EPCOT is a theme park - you're talking about Walt Disney World!"

And my answer to you is: not always!

Walt's plans for EPCOT involved a community - a new, futuristic, and progressful prototype community. Complete with fast and efficient transportation from one place to another - and even a theme park.

His dwelling plans never came to pass - nor did the city. But the concept stuck - since all of the land was bought!

This explains "EPCOT Center." EPCOT Center was the root of the Walt Disney World Resort (known as EPCOT) where the future was the message (this future coming from the future city idea).

However, in order to keep the Reedy Creek mini-government - (whose jobs centered around safety and environmental elements - i.e. not allowing Disney to give the Test Track track a wider angle) - Disney had to actually have a city. What were they to do?

Welcome to Celebration, Florida. (As part as a giant community officially known as EPCOT!) : (See http://www.state.fl.us/rcid/Bldg&Safety/Epcot Bks.htm
or
http://www.state.fl.us/rcid/Bldg&Safety/Written Amendments 2002 - 1.pdf)

Don't you love these little inner-working systems? Wow...I can get EPCOT building codes online...cool... :animwink:

 

[jmarc63]

Originally posted by grizzlyhall
You know that monorail? That Contemporary Resort? Those Golf Courses?

Guess what, folks: That's EPCOT - an experimental prototype community of tomorrow.

But you're probably asking, "Wait a second...EPCOT is a theme park - you're talking about Walt Disney World!"

And my answer to you is: not always!

Walt's plans for EPCOT involved a community - a new, futuristic, and progressful prototype community. Complete with fast and efficient transportation from one place to another - and even a theme park.

His dwelling plans never came to pass - nor did the city. But the concept stuck - since all of the land was bought!

This explains "EPCOT Center." EPCOT Center was the root of the Walt Disney World Resort (known as EPCOT) where the future was the message (this future coming from the future city idea).

However, in order to keep the Reedy Creek mini-government - (whose jobs centered around safety and environmental elements - i.e. not allowing Disney to give the Test Track track a wider angle) - Disney had to actually have a city. What were they to do?

Welcome to Celebration, Florida. (As part as a giant community officially known as EPCOT!) : (See http://www.state.fl.us/rcid/Bldg&Safety/Epcot Bks.htm
or
http://www.state.fl.us/rcid/Bldg&Safety/Written Amendments 2002 - 1.pdf)

Don't you love these little inner-working systems? Wow...I can get EPCOT building codes online...cool... :animwink:

Grizz, This is a little fuzzy, If I'm reading you correctly, your mostly correct, except, from what I understand, is eventhough Celebration is a Disney Developement, The land and the structures within the town boundries arent part of the WDW property anymore, If you look at a map of Reedy Creek there is a hole on the SE section south of I-4 and east of World Drive.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

On the naming itself (EPCOT vs EPCOT Center). I was told on a tour that the name chaged because EPCOT was no longer the center of WDW.

We walked to the N/S/E/W symbol in the ground in the middle of Innovations buildings, this was once the very center of WDW itself and all the resorts, parks, etc. They said that now that they have added AK, the newer resorts, the sports area, that EPCOT was nolonger the physical center of WDW anymore, and hence the name change.

Again, this came from the mouth of a CM giving the Treasures of the World tour at EPCOT.

 

[General Grizz]

And therefore the center of EPCOT :lol:

This marking must have been the center of the BULIT land. Because, of course, the AK land was owned by Disney since construction began on EPCOT.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Originally posted by grizzlyhall
And therefore the center of EPCOT :lol:

This marking must have been the center of the BULIT land. Because, of course, the AK land was owned by Disney since construction began on EPCOT.

No, she really did say the center of all of WDW. And by that she was refering to all of the areas open to the public. She also noted that many, many arcers of land have been bought and sold around WDW property, and that too was some of the attributing factors in changing the name and dropping the "Center".

Like I said, this came from a tour CM. How much is really the truth, how much is "Disney Magic", who knows.

 

[Budke]

EPCOT vs Epcot

I heard that the reason EPCOT changed to Epcot was due to trademark. It is very difficult to hold a copyright on an acronym and if that acronym falls into common useage (like scuba or laser), then anyone can use it. So, Disney changes EPCOT to Epcot so they could better control the word.

As for Center, I wasn't ever aware of this. I'll have to search out that compass next time.

 

[DisneyWorld30th]

What was the deal of the Test Track angle. Why did they need to be involved?

 

[WDWFanatic]

I was reading thru the reddy creek future land use papers. Very interesting stuff. Its great to be able to understand this stuff Being a commercial real estate agent. I wish they had posted the maps showing the future land use development. They have several sites in mind for future theme park areas and if necessary they will do universal studios type parking garages to make room for expansion to mgm or epcot. Does anyone have the maps of potential sites?

 

[monorail_man]

You know that monorail? That Contemporary Resort? Those Golf Courses?

Guess what, folks: That's EPCOT - an experimental prototype community of tomorrow.

But you're probably asking, "Wait a second...EPCOT is a theme park - you're talking about Walt Disney World!"

And my answer to you is: not always!

Walt's plans for EPCOT involved a community - a new, futuristic, and progressful prototype community. Complete with fast and efficient transportation from one place to another - and even a theme park.

His dwelling plans never came to pass - nor did the city. But the concept stuck - since all of the land was bought!

This explains "EPCOT Center." EPCOT Center was the root of the Walt Disney World Resort (known as EPCOT) where the future was the message (this future coming from the future city idea).

However, in order to keep the Reedy Creek mini-government - (whose jobs centered around safety and environmental elements - i.e. not allowing Disney to give the Test Track track a wider angle) - Disney had to actually have a city. What were they to do?

Welcome to Celebration, Florida. (As part as a giant community officially known as EPCOT!) : (See http://www.state.fl.us/rcid/Bldg&Safety/Epcot Bks.htm
or
http://www.state.fl.us/rcid/Bldg&Safety/Written Amendments 2002 - 1.pdf)

Don't you love these little inner-working systems? Wow...I can get EPCOT building codes online...cool... :animwink:

Did you also know that Walt had plans to cover EPCOT in a glass dome so that it would be climate controled

 

[monorail_man]

Hey jmarc63,

Nice Avatar. LOL (Didn't think anyone else had that.I had the same thing but I changed mine.)

 

[Woody13]

You know that monorail? That Contemporary Resort? Those Golf Courses?

Guess what, folks: That's EPCOT - an experimental prototype community of tomorrow.

But you're probably asking, "Wait a second...EPCOT is a theme park - you're talking about Walt Disney World!"

And my answer to you is: not always!

Walt's plans for EPCOT involved a community - a new, futuristic, and progressful prototype community. Complete with fast and efficient transportation from one place to another - and even a theme park.

Let us not forget that WED was to have run the whole deal. WED was completely separate from Walt Disney Productions and, therefore, WED would get all the profits! WED was owned solely by Walt and his immediate family (it did not include his brother Roy). WED sucked Disney Productions dry for many years.

In short, Walt set up his own company to drain the profits away from the shareholders. You just have to love that guy!

 

[marni1971]

An older post (and a very good one) - Lets not forget the other part of phase one - the Village area (later The Institute, now Saratoga Springs). This was WDW`s original community, made of enviromentally sound buildings in quite streets with plenty of natural landscaping. The Villas, Townhouses and Treehouses were all part of this community. As were the four luxury homes built (or was it 8?) that were prototypes for a larger build that never happened.

In order for the charter to be effective, the two cities it encompasses (City of Buena Vista and City of Bay Lake) have to have a mayor and permenant residents, hence several Disney Employees live in trailer homes on two locations, each within each `city` - the ones for CBL are just North of the Boneyard / Bay Lake dock area.

Most of phase one has attributes to the original EPCOT as mentioned above by Grizz. The planning. The man made water ways. Landscaping. Environmentally sound Flood control. Fibre optic phone network. AVAC trash network. The Utilidors. Energy Management. Fire monitoring. Modular hotel rooms (the idea was a good one). Mass Transit. Food service. Everywhere you look in phase one was decades ahead of the real world, with systems befitting a community of tomorrow.

Regarding the plot of land not on the maps by I-4, this is the land WD could not buy. Its owners are now building on it - and Disney are obliged to build an access road next to the CBR!

The Glass Dome of EPCOT the city wasn`t a complete dome, the city center (downtown if you like) was to have been roofed in, with dozens of glass domes dotted about the roof.

WDW Fanatic - the plans change so much for future land use. All that is guaranteed is the wilderness preserve. WDWMagic has some images of masterplans from some years ago: http://www.wdwmagic.com/master.htm