Universal before expansion

[Michael72688]

Does anyone know, or was anyone there when the construction of City Walk, Parking garages, IoA and Portofino were taking place? What was it like?

 

[speck76]

When Universal Studios opened in 1989, it was surrounded by parking lots on all sides. The arch was in the current spot, but much smaller. The bus loop was right up front, and the Hard Rock Cafe was over by ET, but outside the park....the building is still there.

The first garage to go up was the one on the left (from the main toll plaza) Once this garage was open, the old parking lot was torn up. The escalators that lead down to the valet parking area (on the right before the movie theaters) were connected to a walkway to the Studios while Citywalk was being built.

Citywalk construction started on the left side, by Pat O'Briens and Margaritaville...the theaters opened later. (Mowtown opened later due to leagal problems, but was finished prior to the theaters.

The NBA restaurant was the last thing built.

 

[Michael72688]

sounds like it was a real mess

 

[speck76]

Once the garage was up, it was not bad....the garages sit so far from the entrance, that it did not really interfere with the park.

 

[Michael72688]

Thats true, I guess the construction of IoA didn't really interfere w/ anything.

 

[flyersmv]

i was there when they were building IOA and it was nuts over ther i saw it completly wiped out and very few things built......very dull then though

 

[Laura]

Last time I went to Universal Studios (about 10 years ago I guess) there wasn't anything else there. Then I went to IOA 2 years ago and everything looked completely different! It was weird.

I'm looking forward to going back this summer and seeing how much Universal itself has changed inside in the last 10 years.

 

[aimster]

Yeah, same thing happened to me. I visited Universal back in 1993 and back then it was just the Studios. Didn't go back that way again until a few years ago when I visited IoA. Place was so different from what I had remembered. I totally remember the old Hard Rock Cafe being over by the Feivel's playland area. Was cool because you could just go up to the merchandise stand and buy a shirt or whatever without leaving the park (I used to collect HRC shirts back in the day). The building is still there? I'm going to have to check that out next time I visit (which will hopefully be sometime this summer if my friend who works there can hook me up again).

 

[Al]

Last time I went, IoA had been built pretty much, and from what we could see they were just testing it. I don't recall City Walk being there, however there was a new Hard Rock cafe next to the fences for IoA.

 

[Frees Fan]

I still remember the Pyscho house and Bates motel near the HRC.

 

[aimster]

Originally posted by Frees Fan
I still remember the Pyscho house and Bates motel near the HRC.

OMG! Me too! I think we still have photos of that. I remember a bunch of people told me one pic I took looked like a postcard. It was taken at like duck so it looked really creepy.

Man I wish that was still there! That's the stuff I liked the most...t he replic movie set stuff. That's what makes Universal so unique.

 

[Frees Fan]

Hey aimster. It's all gone...no more Psycho house. They tore the motel down some time ago. Before moving down here, my last trip was in 1997...house was there...no motel. Since the movie Psycho was a Paramount picture, filmed at Universal in Hollywood, and the house is so creepy, they decided to build one here. But, alas...times change. Have you been to the original house? They take you on the tram tour and right up to the house. If you go, make sure to keep an eye out for "mother" in the bedroom window. :animwink:

 

[pilka214]

i don't remeber the original studios all that well. i was too young, but i have noticed it has grown to make a great park. and in some ways it actually out-does Disney. i mean they have parking garages, great thrill rides (hulk, mummy, dueling dragons), great resturaunts (hard rock, emerils). and also everything is right next to the other. and all hotels have boats and walkways to the parks. and also when you want to go to the parks you HAVE to walk through citywalk which means you spend more money. and one thing that universal and busch gardens do that i like even more than disney is a 15% discount even in the parks. disney only gives this at world of disney and virgin megastore and select restaurants. so i still love disney but i also love universal. both are Great. and now universal is a great competitor for disney now they need more land for a water park.

 

[marni1971]

Here is a scan from the opening summer guidebook. Man, that was NOT a good opening... we were so dissapointed we demanded (and got) our money back!

 

[marni1971]

Damn, too big for an attatchment.

Have a look in my album, here:

http://photoalbums.wdwmagic.com/showphoto.php?photo=9821&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

 

[AndyP]

Thanks for the picture, I remember going to Universal when it looked like that! Ah, memories!

 

[Figment1986]

thats a weard picture... everything is white.... even Nick studios......

 

[aimster]

Originally posted by Frees Fan
Hey aimster. It's all gone...no more Psycho house. They tore the motel down some time ago. Before moving down here, my last trip was in 1997...house was there...no motel. Since the movie Psycho was a Paramount picture, filmed at Universal in Hollywood, and the house is so creepy, they decided to build one here. But, alas...times change. Have you been to the original house? They take you on the tram tour and right up to the house. If you go, make sure to keep an eye out for "mother" in the bedroom window. :animwink:

I had a feeling it was probably gone. Man that sucks. It definitely was creepy and for some reason i couldn't tear mysefl away from that area for awhile. I got a weird obsession with creepy stuff like that sometimes. I just remember my mom and I going to the old Hard Rock Cafe to buy new shirts and that freaky house was back there and I could not stop staring at it for the longest time. And I was like 18 at the time...

It's been 15 years since I last visited Universal Hollywood. I remember going by the Bates Motel and house on the tram tour. We never went right up to the house though... we just drove by the set. Guess they changed that part of the tour since 1989, huh?

 

[Michael72688]

Does anyone have pics of the construction?

 

[The_CEO]

Originally posted by Michael72688
Does anyone have pics of the construction?

Yeah.