In order to transform this area into the number one vacation destination in the world, massive amounts of Earth had to be moved.
Disney had to transform this land, while balancing the needs of the environment and ecology of the area. If any part of the water supply was damaged or deleted, it would have caused a massive ecological imbalance to the region. The first thing Disney did was set aside a 7, acre Conservation Area in , which would never be built on. Second, they developed an engineering marvel by creating a system of more than 55 miles of canals and levees to control water levels. Disney Imagineer John Hench designed this network of canals to blend into the natural landscape, rather than being constructed in straight lines.
The mechanism that control the water levels are completely automated, and require no monitoring and little maintenance. Pretty impressive, considering the property is about twice the size of Manhattan!
Less than one year after the formal public announcement that it was in fact the Disney Company that had purchased all of that land near the intersections of major Highways U. Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio.
Learn more…. Lou Mongello February 11, From the Oct. The realtors of the firm were sworn to secrecy about who was interested in the land, and they had no idea Walt Disney was indeed their client.
Many landowners were out of state, and some had never even seen the land they owned since it had been acquired through inheritances. Many of the sellers were eager to unload their properties because much of the area was thought of as just swampland.
It took six months for Disney to close on the first purchase of land, but they had their start on what would become Walt Disney World. Many more tracts of land had to be bought, however, without the secret getting out. One way the Disney Company was able to do this was by delaying the recording of first deeds on the properties until they had gotten more land under contract. The company even made the purchases in cash so there would be no paper trail.
A problem arose for the secret as the acquisition of land began, however. A rumor started to swirl in California that the next site for a park was going to be in Orlando. Helliwell went to Dial to tell him about it, and the pair went to see the man who could have potentially broken the news to the area, the publisher of the Orlando Sentinel , Martin Andersen. This was where things got a little sketchy. Either way, the secret remained intact for a short time more. The first purchase of land was recorded on May 3, , for 8, acres of swamp purchased from Florida State Senator Irlo Bronson in a deal made seven months earlier.
An article ran in the Orlando Sentinel the next day, but it only speculated on what the property was going to be used for and who might have bought it. Much of the speculation had to do with the location being used for the space program. Later in May, the paper ran another story addressing the Disney rumor directly but dismissed it when Walt Disney denied he was interested in having a park on the East Coast.
After the first purchase was recorded, Florida Ranch Lands, the real estate company Hawkins had been using to make purchases, completed deals with 47 other landowners. The editor of the magazine, Emily Bavar, ran a story that predicted Disney owned the land, and it was going to be the site for a new park. Walt had vision like no other and has had a profound effect and influence on so many including myself. He singlehandedly put Orlando on the map and has accomplished a project that no one could probably ever repeat in history ever again.
And we all still need that, especially today. Also, the non Disney businesses can Jack up their prices at the smallest little hotel. At least with Disney World Resorts you get the quality and atmosphere of what you are paying for.
So Walt, you made the right call! Read more About us or Advertise with us. We respect your right to privacy. Please take a moment to review our privacy policy and terms of use. All Disney artwork, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, and trade names are proprietary to Disney Enterprises, Inc. Main Menu.
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