Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Photos from 1960's Disneyland Hotel Brochures

These were all part of two 1961/1962 Disneyland Hotel brochures. I scanned them at high res so they would show up better. http://www.magicalhotel.com












Monday, September 12, 2016

Miscellaneous 1960's Pictures

Some photos from slides in the 1960's. Thank you Joe C for these scans. Hope you enjoy these. 









Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Ground Break Shovel from 1955

This is the original shovel presented to Jack Wrather by the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce on March 18, 1955 at the luncheon at the Water Wheel restaurant following the formal ground breaking ceremonies.
 Photo taken at the Water Wheel Restaurant on Euclid in Anaheim during the luncheon.
 Matchbook from the Restaurant.
Restaurant Ad
Clyde Cromer from the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce presenting the shovel to Jack Wrather. Also in the picture, Bonita Granville-Wrather and CV Wood.

Shovel close-up 1955.
 Shovel close-up in 2015.
Don Ballard with shovel on October 5, 2015 during the Hotel's 60th anniversary celebration.
Don Ballard, original Hotel Architect Alfred Nicholson and former Wrather Company President Michael Bullis on October 5, 2015.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Disneyland Hotel Pictures 1st Anniversary

We still have the picture books available as well as many different individual pictures in 8x10, 8x12 and 11x14 from our large collection of photographs. Please write for details: don@magicalhotel.com. 

Hope you enjoy these first anniversary pictures from the Disneyland Hotel. Magical Hotel













Monday, February 15, 2016

Disneyland Hotel Special Picture Books

I am making available custom made picture books. These are full of rare, unique and many never before published pictures from the Disneyland Hotel's past. These are pictures only unless otherwise noted below. I have really researched and have carefully prepared these to come up with extra special items for each of these books. Each volume is chock full of pictures from the personal collection of the Wrather family,  (some with supporting documents) set to a particular theme, see below. I will be making just 50 copies of each title listed below.

If you have a personal theme and you would like a custom photo book, please let me know and we can put together something really special.

Books are 11 1/4" x 8 3/4" in size and 30 pages each. Price is $30 per standard book or $40 each for custom/personal books plus $3 each for shipping. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery as these are print on demand. Allow one extra week for personal/custom books.

For PayPal, please use donballard@comcast.net to remit payment. Due to the special nature of these books, we will not honor refunds. All sales are final.

Visit our website for contact details if you do not wish to use PayPal: magical hotel

Volume 1: Polynesian themed. From the early 1970's to the early 1980's, the Disneyland Hotel celebrated the Polynesian culture. Beautiful and rare color shots which are Tiki themed.


Volume 9: From the late 1960's to the late 1970's, many rare shots taken from the Sierra Tower showing the Hotel's changing landscape. Olympic Pool, Plaza Building plus newly discovered shots from the mini-golf course and other golf facilities at the Disneyland Hotel. This edition is full of never before seen or published photographs and is my personal favorite.


Volume 7: 1982-1983 convention center construction and opening. Many overhead shots plus vintage ads and brochures announcing the Hotel's newest convention facilities.

 Volume 6: Late 60's early 70's Marina Tower construction and opening. Includes colorful shots of the brand new lobby and interior design of the Disneyland Hotel from 1970. This book does have limited text as well as photographs of rare documents relating to the building of the Marina Tower.


More volumes soon to follow. These books contain pictures from the Wrather families own private and personal collection.

Books Plus Addendum in E-Book Format Available

I have both books listed on Ebay in E-Book (PDF) format. These are high resolution files delivered to your email address. As a bonus, if you order both books, we will include the never released Addendum at no charge. See links below.

Please note: This is an e-book version on pdf format and will be sent via email to your paypal email address. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the file. You may already have the software pre-installed in your device or you can download the free software on adobe website.

“Disneyland® Hotel 1954-1959: The Little Motel in the Middle of the Orange Grove.”

This e-book PDF edition is devoted to the years 1954 to 1959 from the details surrounding the initial talks with Walt & Roy Disney and Jack Wrather to the many additions and expansions to the building of the Disneyland Hotel in its pre-Tower configuration. Filled with over 300 photographs and beautifully designed with 50’s period graphics and design.

“Disneyland® Hotel: The Early Years 1954-1988” captures the amazing construction of this landmark resort and tells the story of how it became one of Southern California's premier destinations for family vacations. The book includes vintage photos, memorabilia, and a foreword by the son of the original owner of the hotel.



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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

This Blog: Thumbs up? Thumbs Down?

It's been a while since I posted to this blog. I have been mainly posting on Facebook. Should I post here as well?