Was EPCOT supposed to have the PeopleMover?

[Future Guy]

I remember hearing and/or reading somewhere (one of Martin's videos, probably) that at one point EPCOT Center was supposed to have a PeopleMover. Supposedly the CommuniCore buildings were even designed to accommodate it. However, I've never read anything else about it , and no PeopleMover tracks appear on any early rendering or model of EPCOT that I've ever seen.

Does anyone know how, exactly, it was supposed to have worked? Would it have extended throughout the park, with stations around the World Showcase maybe? Or would it have more closely resembled the DLR/MK-WDW implementations and been a smaller loop with only one station?

 

[raven]

This was recently discussed somewhere here on the boards. Walt's original E.P.C.O.T. was supposed to incorporated them. But the Epcot, as we know it today, wasn't planned to have one.

 

[marni1971]

EPCOT Center was built to accommodate a WEDway through Communicore, though I`ve never found a route plan. As I said in my video ( :wave: ) it was designed to run above the main north-south walkways as part of a future phase, probably once CCore was built out to its originally planned size.

I discussed this with George McGinnis and a few people, and was happy to be validated in 2007 when it was mentioned in the 25th anniversary display.

I wouldn`t be surprised if there were never any concrete (no pun intended) plans for it to travel elsewhere in the park; almost as if they thought if it was to happen CCore would be a definate part of the route. More of a hope if you will that it would happen someday; all the park plans from 1975 had one so they perhaps thought it would actually get one eventually.

Remember the original Tland WEDway had its phase one space built with the rest of the route undecided - it took 4 years and 3 variations of route before it opened.

 

[Future Guy]

Cool! Thanks for the info, Martin!

 

[MiklCraw4d]

Martin:

George told me once that at one point there were plans for a station near the walkway to World Showcase, and that was how they originally found the Odyssey-area sinkhole.

 

[Hoop Raeb]

Isn't this why all the buildings in the Communicore are built two stories tall but essentially unused except for the very odd upper seating area of Electric Umbrella?

 

[raven]

Isn't this why all the buildings in the Communicore are built two stories tall but essentially unused except for the very odd upper seating area of Electric Umbrella?

Electric Umbrella used to only be one floor. The tall ceilings allow for large exhibits and lighting fixtures.

 

[marni1971]

Electric Umbrella used to only be one floor. The tall ceilings allow for large exhibits and lighting fixtures.

Yep, the upper floor was gained when Stargate closed, as did Odyssey and to some extent Sunrise Terrace (if pizza wasn`t your thing) and extra seating was needed.

Michael; very interesting. I must ask him in September

 

[lazyboy97o]

Isn't this why all the buildings in the Communicore are built two stories tall but essentially unused except for the very odd upper seating area of Electric Umbrella?

I believe the Centorium had some sort of upper level.

 

[marni1971]

I believe the Centorium had some sort of upper level.

It did. Centorium actually had 3 levels - the park level, a sunken main floor, and a mezzanine level.

There is still office space in an upper level in there.

 

[mp2bill]

Cool!