I recently "came across" a copy of the Official and Original Master Plan for Walt Disney World. 
After some lengthy reading, I've discovered many things that were initially planned, yet never really came close to completion for various reasons. Some I already knew about, but some I didn't. Some of the concept art is pretty off, too. Take for example the Polynesian; the concept art for this resort shows a 7 - 8 story main building, and the completed resort looks nothing close to the sketch.
Here's a list of "what was supposed to, but didn't happen" from just the first 32 pages of the Original Master Plan. I've picked these out of paragraphs, and edited them down to keep this readable, but left in the good stuff. Some of this stuff is just things they planned on guests being able to do on property, which never came to be.
Enjoy:
- "An 'Airport of the Future' offering services to private and executive aircraft, as well as commercial 'commuter' service. new methods of baggage and cargo expediting, passenger loading,...will establish this as a prototype for future air terminals. The importance of this facility is indicsated by the fact that more than 300,000 people annually arrive in Florida aboard priate aircraft."
- "An Industral Park designed to showcase American Industry at Work,"
- "...stables and bridle trails"
- "...nature tours..."
- "...archery range..."
- "...Hotels will offer nightclub entertainment and dancing,..."
- "...the waters of the lake will be kept crystal clear for the enjoyment of water sports enthusiasts, sunning ans swimming."
- "...distant Asia and the island of Polynesia are but minutes apart." (resorts)
- "Annual Dixieland Show..."
- "Bicycle and bridle trails lead from each hotel out around the golf courses and through scenic, wooded areas of the site."
- "And 'Blackbeard's Island,' in the middle of the lake, is a young explorer's paradise."
- "Thunder Mesa," a spectacular panorama of the old west, where frontier times will live again through a series of exciting adventures. Designed to resemble a "table top" mountain typical of those on southwestern deserts, it will include a pueblo style village and several water and land attractions."
- "Western River Expedition," a msical parody of the wild old west in which boat riding explorers come face to facewith cowboys and indians in a frontier fantasy, on the grand scale of Disneyland's Pirates of the Carbbean."
- "Hall of Presidents" was to be called "One Nation Under God"
- "Five (5) Major hotels symbolizing the thematic concept of Walt Disney World are now being planned for development in Phase One, the first five year's of the project's growth. Two hotels, the Contemporary Style and Polynesian will open the first year. The Persian, Venetian, and Asian themed resorts will follow later to meet the anticipated demand for accomodations.)"
- Contemporary main building was to be only 10 stories with an 80 foot high ceiling.
- "The atmosphere of Pacific Islands will be created in the graceful high-rise structure...of the 700-room Polynesian-style hotel...highlight for many visitors will be the scuba-diving pool, where guests will be able to participate or watch through special underwater viewing ports for spectators."
- "The Asian hotel will be strongly Thai in it's motif. A theme restaurant and cocktail lounge at the top of it's 160-foot tower building will provide the setting for nighttime dancing and stage-show entertainment. Each of it's 600 rooms, incluing 50 elegant suites in royal Thai decor, will look out on the lagoon or a central recreation area."
- "An enclosed small boat harbor and intricate system of waterways will create the charm and atmosphere of the Italian city in the 500-room Venetian theme hotel."
- "...the Persian style hotel will rise on the Northwest shore of the lake. A huge dome will crown the central lobby, from which balconies will radiate to the 500 rooms."
- "...the residential commuity will embody many prototypes which may later be considered for incorporation into the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow - EPCOT."
- "...computerized registration center, which will include the most sophisticated means of processing the millions ofguests expected at Walt Disney World. Surrounding this center will be a wide range of accomodations, including motels, trailer parks, and camp sites."
That's about the gist of things that were planned before they even broke ground, that never happened! Eek! Some of that stuff is nuts to me.
If you'd like some black and whites of concept art I can post a few of those later.
After some lengthy reading, I've discovered many things that were initially planned, yet never really came close to completion for various reasons. Some I already knew about, but some I didn't. Some of the concept art is pretty off, too. Take for example the Polynesian; the concept art for this resort shows a 7 - 8 story main building, and the completed resort looks nothing close to the sketch.
Here's a list of "what was supposed to, but didn't happen" from just the first 32 pages of the Original Master Plan. I've picked these out of paragraphs, and edited them down to keep this readable, but left in the good stuff. Some of this stuff is just things they planned on guests being able to do on property, which never came to be.
Enjoy:
- "An 'Airport of the Future' offering services to private and executive aircraft, as well as commercial 'commuter' service. new methods of baggage and cargo expediting, passenger loading,...will establish this as a prototype for future air terminals. The importance of this facility is indicsated by the fact that more than 300,000 people annually arrive in Florida aboard priate aircraft."
- "An Industral Park designed to showcase American Industry at Work,"
- "...stables and bridle trails"
- "...nature tours..."
- "...archery range..."
- "...Hotels will offer nightclub entertainment and dancing,..."
- "...the waters of the lake will be kept crystal clear for the enjoyment of water sports enthusiasts, sunning ans swimming."
- "...distant Asia and the island of Polynesia are but minutes apart." (resorts)
- "Annual Dixieland Show..."
- "Bicycle and bridle trails lead from each hotel out around the golf courses and through scenic, wooded areas of the site."
- "And 'Blackbeard's Island,' in the middle of the lake, is a young explorer's paradise."
- "Thunder Mesa," a spectacular panorama of the old west, where frontier times will live again through a series of exciting adventures. Designed to resemble a "table top" mountain typical of those on southwestern deserts, it will include a pueblo style village and several water and land attractions."
- "Western River Expedition," a msical parody of the wild old west in which boat riding explorers come face to facewith cowboys and indians in a frontier fantasy, on the grand scale of Disneyland's Pirates of the Carbbean."
- "Hall of Presidents" was to be called "One Nation Under God"
- "Five (5) Major hotels symbolizing the thematic concept of Walt Disney World are now being planned for development in Phase One, the first five year's of the project's growth. Two hotels, the Contemporary Style and Polynesian will open the first year. The Persian, Venetian, and Asian themed resorts will follow later to meet the anticipated demand for accomodations.)"
- Contemporary main building was to be only 10 stories with an 80 foot high ceiling.
- "The atmosphere of Pacific Islands will be created in the graceful high-rise structure...of the 700-room Polynesian-style hotel...highlight for many visitors will be the scuba-diving pool, where guests will be able to participate or watch through special underwater viewing ports for spectators."
- "The Asian hotel will be strongly Thai in it's motif. A theme restaurant and cocktail lounge at the top of it's 160-foot tower building will provide the setting for nighttime dancing and stage-show entertainment. Each of it's 600 rooms, incluing 50 elegant suites in royal Thai decor, will look out on the lagoon or a central recreation area."
- "An enclosed small boat harbor and intricate system of waterways will create the charm and atmosphere of the Italian city in the 500-room Venetian theme hotel."
- "...the Persian style hotel will rise on the Northwest shore of the lake. A huge dome will crown the central lobby, from which balconies will radiate to the 500 rooms."
- "...the residential commuity will embody many prototypes which may later be considered for incorporation into the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow - EPCOT."
- "...computerized registration center, which will include the most sophisticated means of processing the millions ofguests expected at Walt Disney World. Surrounding this center will be a wide range of accomodations, including motels, trailer parks, and camp sites."
That's about the gist of things that were planned before they even broke ground, that never happened! Eek! Some of that stuff is nuts to me.
If you'd like some black and whites of concept art I can post a few of those later.
