Mystery Building???

elabron

elabron

New Member
Original Poster
Okay.......I've been to WDW a dozen or so times now, and there's something I've yet to figure out.

Sitting in between the IASW building and the Haunted Mansion (actually the entrance into Liberty Square from Fantasyland), is a chalet style building that sits up behind a little water feature "pond" area.....it's where Cinderella's carriage sat for the P&P party.

Anyway, what exactly is that building? Offices? :shrug: I've never seen anyone go in or out.:lookaroun
 
RiversideBunny

RiversideBunny

New Member
That question comes up a lot.
You are probably referring to the old Skyway building that was one end of the Skyway buckets that travelled across Tomorrow Land.
It was the loading area on that end.

The name 'Skyway' may not be the correct one. It went away years ago.

:)
 
Figment82

Figment82

Well-Known Member
It used to be the Fantasyland Skyway station - see corresponding building in Tomorrowland next to Space Mountain. Gosh I miss that ride...
 
EpcotServo

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
That would be the old Skyway station. It was a cable car ride that went from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, in which you rode in little four-person red, blue, yellow, and other colored-buckets. (Hence the term "Skybuckets" as I always called them.) It gave great views of the 20,000 Leauges under the Sea lagoon and a nice view of the landscape below you. It closed some time ago. Look for the Tommorowland Station near Space Mountain next time you're there! Many Skybuckets still rest in those buildings.
:wave:

EDIT: Also, I remember it was very scary.
:lol:

It closed in 1999.
 
elabron

elabron

New Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the info.:wave:

I was there in '79, '80 and '82, but was a lttile guy, so I don't remeber them. I've seen pictures though.

Gotcha.
 
Yoop33

Yoop33

New Member
What are they doing with this anyway? It has been like this for a while and both buildings are pretty large and could house something or knock them down and use them for a new attraction!! At least the Tomorrow Land building has rest rooms in it and the other building is a parking lot for strollers, lol, so I guess it isn't completely useless. Funny thing is that I have been there so many times I don't even really notice them anymore. I wonder if vacationers notice them
 
D

DisnFanatic10

New Member
I don't go as often as I would like (every 2-3 years)and yes the first day I do notice them but then realize what they are and forget about them. I'm so excited I may be going to Disneyland for the first time next summer. Completing the North American duo.
 
Tim G

Tim G

Well-Known Member
EpcotServo said:
That would be the old Skyway station. It was a cable car ride that went from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, in which you rode in little four-person red, blue, yellow, and other colored-buckets. (Hence the term "Skybuckets" as I always called them.) It gave great views of the 20,000 Leauges under the Sea lagoon and a nice view of the landscape below you. It closed some time ago. Look for the Tommorowland Station near Space Mountain next time you're there! Many Skybuckets still rest in those buildings.
:wave:

EDIT: Also, I remember it was very scary.
:lol:

It closed in 1999.
Click to expand...
I concur... :D

And yes, a matter of fact it was rather scary... especially walking underneath those things...
And drops of Icecream weren't the worst things that could happen to you...

And yet... I sometimes miss it...
 
littlemom_3

littlemom_3

Member
They also use the area in front of the Fantasyland Skyway station to take pictures during the MNSSHP and MVMCP.

I also miss that ride, a lot. I was very sad to see it gone after not having been in a while.
 
sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
Yoop33 said:
At least the Tomorrow Land building has rest rooms in it and the other building is a parking lot for strollers, lol, so I guess it isn't completely useless.
Click to expand...

You mean the restrooms by Space Mountain are where the old Skyway was? I never realized that. I was wondering where the old building was!

1987 was the only time I went when Skyway was still there. I didn't go again until March 2000, so it looks like I just barely missed it. But I was probably 11, going on 12, when my parents took me, my brother and my couisn there. I remember all day wanting to ride it and the lines were way too long. Finally around 5 PM or so, when it was about time for us to leave, I saw no line at all. Excited to be able to ride it before we left, I started to run up the ramp only to be greeted by a CM who told me the ride was closed. :lol:
 
PintoColvig

PintoColvig

Active Member
elabron said:
Okay.......I've been to WDW a dozen or so times now, and there's something I've yet to figure out.

Sitting in between the IASW building and the Haunted Mansion (actually the entrance into Liberty Square from Fantasyland), is a chalet style building that sits up behind a little water feature "pond" area.....it's where Cinderella's carriage sat for the P&P party.

Anyway, what exactly is that building? Offices? :shrug: I've never seen anyone go in or out.:lookaroun
Click to expand...
Well, since no one else has said it, it's the old skyway building. :lookaroun

There used to be a rumor floating around that the building was going to become a fondue restaurant. The rumor was inspired by the Swiss design of the building, I suppose.
 
Rob562

Rob562

Well-Known Member
As for pictures, here's an aerial view of the building:

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?...t=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3928934&encType=1
The load/unload area was the left-hand side of the building (with the multi-leveled roof). The large area to the right (the part that's actually above the restrooms) was storage and maintenance for the buckets. This building won't be torn down until something is ready to be built as a replacement because it contains the only restrooms on that end of Tomorrowland. (Next closest is near Star Traders) They would most likely build temporary restrooms first (or find a way to build the permanent ones first), then tear down the SKyway building.


Over on the Fantasyland end:
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?...t=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3928863&encType=1

You can see just how land-locked this building really is, wedged in between IASW and the Haunted Mansion. Not much room to put anything, especially not an attraction. At most would be a snack location. (I've always thought a Fountainview-like coffee, pastry and dessert counter location would be nice)
Part of the reason the building is still standing is that it fits in with the theming nicely, but I also assume it's because this end of the Skyway housed the motor for the whole system. That's a lot of big mechanical and electrical equipment buried inside the building, and Disney wouldn't want to spend the money to remove those and tear the building down for no reason.

One thing *I* have always wondered is what the little grass-roofed building just down the hill from the Fantasyland skyway is. (It's next to the pond, about halfway between the stroller parking and Columbia Harbor House) I *assume* it contains pump equipment for the pond and the waterfall up near the station (if the waterfall is still operating). You can see where the pond kind of goes inside/under this little house. But it just seems like an odd place to put pump equipment. You'd think they'd have placed it in a more "backstage" area, or built it into the Skyway station near where the waterfall actually is.

-Rob
 

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