Sunday, June 20, 2010

Aerial View of the Disneyland Hotel

A very nice early shot. The image is large so you can see some of the details. The picture is a large format 16X20 inch print.

8 comments:

Major Pepperidge said...

Great shot... it is actually kind of sprawling, and yet looks so little by comparison to later years! What is that circular, sunken structure right next to the pool?

The Viewliner Limited said...

A truly fantastic shot. Beauty!

Vintage Disneyland Tickets said...

Super photo, I like the old house and gas station on the property plus all the orange trees! What year is this?

Major, that's the landing pad for the Cat from Outer Space!

Katella Gate said...

Well, I got beaten to the punch... I also was going to ask what that circular structure was next to the pool, and if there was any story to that poor farm house that had a monster amusement park move in... Shades of "The Little House" but with serious role reversals.

TokyoMagic! said...

Are those round areas the wading pools/fountains? I know I've seen hotel pics of people splashing around in something like that.

Magical Hotel said...

I would say this picture is around the first part of 1956 maybe January-February. There is still construction going on of the new guest structures (Garden Villas). The farm house was the "Little Gourmet" Restaurant which they used until the regular Gourmet opened in mid-February 1956. There is still construction going on in the future Administration Building at the top center. The service station is a Richfield facility the same as the Autopia sponsor. They leased this space from the Disneyland Hotel. The round structure on the right of the pool is part of the Coral Club and had little changing cabanas. The two round structures to the left of the main pool are a wading pool and a sand pit. The trail going from the bottom, left circle leads to the shuffleboard courts.

Katella Gate said...

Don: thanks for that authoritative answer. Those sorts of details are interesting and valuable.

Magical Hotel said...

I just reviewed a few more overhead pictures and this particular one is definitely a little later in the year than January-February 1956. It is definitely 1956 but is most likely some time between June and July. It doesn't look like the pool is quite yet open and that opened in late June, 1956.