EPCOT as many of us know stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It was the original concept for the Florida Project, but was abandoned shortly after Walt’s death in 1966. Nevertheless, the idea still had merit in the company and was continued in development over the years.
The Story
Originally, the concept for the Florida Project was this prototypical community that Walt had envisioned and had been working on. It was that vision that was sold to the Florida Government that allowed the Disney Co. to gain such broad control over the newly acquired lands. It would have been a far different Central Florida if Walt had lived to see his dream realized, but the impact of the development by Disney has changed the face of Central Florida and all of destination travel.
Models
One of the great things that the Disney Co. does when working on these concepts is research; massive amounts of research. From site surveys to and sketches to aerial photography and scale modelling which is all designed to create the most remarkable and memorable destinations in the world. It was true in Walt’s day and has remained paramount over the years.
These are a couple of shots of one of the many models used to construct EPCOT Center. You can see that the surface of Spaceship Earth is different than what was built. The construction of Spaceship Earth, alone, is an historic feat of construction, but that is for another post. And some of the designs have been modified throughout the developmental phase through to actual construction. All in all, however, the park is quite similar to the one we enjoy today.
Complete photo of the model of EPCOT Center
Higher angle view of large model showing then envisioned Future World at EPCOT.
Higher angle view of large model showing the proposed World Showcase at Epcot
Wrapping it up
I have many more treasures, like these, in the archive and will continue to write about them here on the site. If you have any interesting Disneyana that you would like me to share here, please contact me.
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