Brochure Deviations: 1980's & Seaports of the Pacific

In continuing with the brochure deviation theme, I am presenting the 1980's brochures and their deviations which featured the Seaports of the Pacific addition to the Disneyland Hotel. First, some text on Seaports of the Pacific introduced in 1980 at the Disneyland Hotel.

For the summer season of 1980, the 25th Anniversary of the Disneyland Hotel, the Seaports of the Pacific shopping area was added to the marina. Under construction since February, it replaced what had been the artisans market. Ed Ettinger, the project's supervisor, explained, "What we've developed is a living theater consisting of those special environments associated with exotic ports of trade in the Pacific Basin." Side by side were an Indonesian pagoda blue tile roof, an Australian weathered tin roof, a Polynesian bamboo roof, and a Latin American red mission-tile roof...a wide variety of colors and textures. Staffed by authentic personnel, the Seaports was a mingling of accents and cultures. In the International Bazaar were to be found an arts and crafts market and shops of imports from the South Seas. Mimes, magicians, and strolling musicians entertained at this international bazaar. Sausalito Sue, a rustic cocktail barge, floated close by on the marina. Entered by means of a wooden ramp, it offered drinks and snacks.

And now the Seaports brochure and its many deviations.

There were two covers to this brochure ranging from 1983 to 1987

The 1983, 1984 & 1986 brochure back covers

The 1985 back cover mentions the Hotel's 30th anniversary

The 1987 back cover

This page remained unchanged and intact in all brochures from 1983 to 1987

1983-1985 map section of the brochure

The 1986 & 1987 map section

1983-1985 interior brochure

1986 & 1987 interior brochure

1983-1985 interior brochure

1986 & 1987 interior brochure

While the brochures shared many similar pictures and text, there were also numerous differences. So when you think you may already have a brochure in your collection, make sure to double check that they are not different versions that just look alike to the casual eye. Happy collecting!

Please visit our website:  http://www.magicalhotel.com/

Friday Fun Pics

Just adding some fun pics which were taken from brochures.

Do you remember a time like this? I do and it was in the Monorail Cafe after a wondrous day at Disneyland!

The Olympic Size Pool. I broght my son in this pool when he was nine months old.

Hope you liked these pictures.

Brochure Deviations: 1970 Brochure

In collecting Disneyland Hotel items, you may think you already have something when in reality, there were many deviations in the Hotel paper items. Case in point today is a Disneyland Hotel brochure from the 1970's.

At first glance, the covers look the same. If you carefully look, you will see the script is different at the top and the picture has several differences. The pictures were taken very close together and use the same models but, there are differences. Can you spot at least three?

The back cover also has differences. Same picture but, differnt wording.

This had to be 1976 or later and I suspect it was 1976 to announce Tennisland adjacent to the Disneyland Hotel.

This one had to be later than the previous because they started using this type of Disneyland Hotel script in the later 70's. The previous three shots all came from the center of the brochure which was used at the Disneyland Hotel from 1970 to the later 70's.

So when buying Disneyland Hotel items, don't assume you already have something until you really check it out. There are also brochures (which I will detail upcoming) with very subtle changes in them. I can't even be certain I have all the variations but I do have a very large Disneyland Hotel collection.......just ask my wife!

Please visit our website at http://www.magicalhotel.com/

I am also in the process of making two DVD's available both showing rare footage of Disneyland and The Disneyland Hotel in 1957 and 1958. Stay tuned for further notice.

 Update: Addendum one to our book is finally at the printer.

Jolly Roger Inn 1967

Here is a nice brochure and rate sheet from the Jolly Roger Inn circa 1967.

Front and back cover

We have stayed at this facility and really enjoyed it. It was clean and comfortable and the food was very good. It was a bit of a walk to Disneyland but they did have a shuttle bus. We also liked that it was close to some eating establishments just accross the street.

http://www.magicalhotel.com/

Peter Pan Motor Lodge 1957

I have also collected many items from surounding area hotels and motels and not just items from the Disneyland Hotel. Today, I am posting items from the Peter Pan Motor Lodge from 1957. The address is 2029 Harbor Boulevard but based on the map in the brochure, this establishment was located in the spot that the Jolly Roger Inn is at today. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. I am also thinking that there is still a Peter Pan Motel today however it is located on Harbor accross the street and up a short distance (towards Interstate 5) from the old location. I will post some Jolly Roger pictures shortly. If anyone knows otherwise on any of this, please share. In the mean time, hope you enjoy these pictures of the Peter Pan Motor Lodge.

Based on this map, it looks like this establishment is on the corner of Katella and Harbor, where the Jolly Roger is at today.

The rates were not that different than what the Disneyland Hotel charged.

Peter Pan Postcard

Please visit our website at http://www.magicalhotel.com/

Disneyland Hotel: Don Ballard Wants to Check You In

Disneyland Hotel: Don Ballard Wants to Check You In

Bonita Tower part 2

Mid 80's overhead showing all three towers at the Disneyland Hotel. The unique solar power units are visible on the roof of the Bonita Tower.

Late 70's convention brochure listing the new Bonita Tower conference rooms as well as other amenities.

The Bonita Tower

On December 12, 1976, Jack Wrather received the go-ahead to build one of the most modern hotel additions anywhere. But the city’s planning commission tacked on an interesting condition to the development. The proposed 13-story tower, to be the third tower in the Hotel complex, would be the tallest structure in Anaheim and would be the maximum height allowed. Under a rule adopted by the city some time previous, no building was permitted to be visible from Disneyland Park. The planners ordered a balloon to be flown at the height of the proposed building to make sure it could not be seen from inside the Park. The concern was that the fantasy atmosphere of Anaheim’s main tourist attraction not be disrupted. Architects for the new tower assured the planners contour lines had been drawn and there would be no visual intrusion in the Park. They agreed however, to confirm their paper theories with the balloon test.

The 1977 Wrather Corporation annual report announced an $18-million expansion program, including the third tower building, which would give the Hotel a total of 1,400 guest rooms and suites. [This was the third and final phase of the massive expansion plan announced by Jack Wrather back in 1968.] Included in the expansion plan were a new computerized reservation-registration system, a "space-age" telephone system, enlarged restaurant and bar facilities, remodeled kitchens, and enlarged and redecorated shops and boutiques. Also announced was the $3-million purchase of 21-acres of land contiguous to the original 60-acres leased from Walt Disney back in 1954. Located at the southwest corner of the Hotel, 7.5-acres were designated for additional parking. The remainder of the land was to be studied for future development. That "future development" never took place during the Wrather years.

1977 Wrather Corporation Report

More than 100 Disneyland Hotel representatives and Southern California VIP’s gathered on April 7th, 1977 at the Hotel for a ground-breaking ceremony and VIP reception to officially launch construction on the Hotel’s newest addition, a 13 story, 406 room tower that at completion will be the tallest building in Anaheim, California. The new tower was scheduled for completion in December, 1978.

From left to right: On April 7th, 1977, Jack Wrather, Donn Tatum (Disney Exec), Bonita Granville-Wrather and Anaheim Mayor Bill Thom break ground for the Bonita Tower.

1977 Disneyland Hotel newsletter

Construction under way

Bonita Tower all framed out

The new layout

Rates and information for 1978

This is one of my persoanl favorite pictures of the Disneyland Hotel. It's how I like to remember it. The Bonita Tower is on the left. Those were sure some fun visits!

1978 Southern California feature newspaper article discussing the Disneyland Hotel and the new Bonita Tower.

On July 1st, 119 rooms of the newest tower building were opened to guests. By August all the guest rooms of this third tower building were fully opened (although its Grand Opening was not celebrated until the following year). Included were thirty-eight suites with one or two bedrooms. The $18-million, 13-story Bonita Tower (named after Jack Wrather's wife) became the tallest building in Anaheim. In September, the new Tower's lobby was opened, along with six new meeting rooms (the Santa Rosa, the San Clemente, the Santa Catalina, the Santa Cruz, the Santa Barbara, and the Wrather Board Room). On the lobby level was to be found the Garden Lounge, which overlooked the Dancing Waters and would overlook the Aqua Gardens when opened the following year. This lounge contained a holding (warming) kitchen that allowed for the serving of special breakfasts and buffet lunches for meetings and conventions. The following year, a terrace was added to the Garden Lounge, allowing patrons to enjoy the refreshing evening.

1978 Jack Wrather letter

Early 1979 update from Jack Wrather

More importantly, the Bonita Tower was the first hotel building in the United States to utilize a solar heating system. Solar panels, installed on the roof, collected the sun's heat, which then heated water in storage tanks. That water was then circulated through the guest rooms. A new laundry-water reclamation system surpassed then current standards in the commercial laundry services. Installed in the basement of the new tower at a cost of $500,000, the facility eventually would supply laundry service for the entire Hotel. The laundry's first supervisor was Pete Kaiserman. The Tower had been designed as an "energy-conscious" structure. This new tower added 367 guest rooms, bringing the total for the Hotel complex to slightly over 1,400 rooms. As with the previous Sierra and Marina Towers, the Los Angeles firm of Weber and Nicholson Associates was the architect for the Bonita Tower.

And now for the mystery photo. I always thought the photo below was of construction on the Bonita Tower. I can't be certain but I think it is. Unless you can find anything in the picture to disprove this, (and by all means, please do if you see something I have note been able to see) I am going to say this is Bonita Tower construction.

                                 

Mystery photo!

Hope you enjoyed this photo set of the last tower constructed at the Original Disneyland Hotel.

 Please have a look at our website and help keep these photos coming by purchasing your very own copy of "Disneyland Hotel: The Early Years 1954-1988"

http://www.magicalhotel.com/

Water Wonderland part 3

Water Wonderland included a number of new and updated attractions around the marina area and at the base of the newly opened Bonita Tower. In front of the Tower was the new $2-million, four-acre Aqua Gardens. It featured the 165-foot wide, crescent-shaped Horseshoe Falls, the top of which was a bridge for guests of the Bonita Tower to use as a link to the wharf. Also included in this area were a beautifully landscaped rain forest, a series of reflecting pools, and rapids. Finally, there was a fish pond grotto (inhabited by over 400 very expensive Japanese Imperial Koi fish), landscaped in the style of Japanese gardens. While the Aqua Gardens may have had a distinctively tropical atmosphere, in actuality all of the plants, trees, and rocks needed for this new area had been transported only from nearby San Bernardino and the Sierra Mountains.

Overhead shortly after the Bonita Tower opened.

A rare view of the new waterways at the Disneyland Hotel.

Careful attention to detail provided for beautiful scenery.

A beautiful night-time shot of the Water Wonderland at the Disneyland Hotel. This picture was another fron an archive that probably has not seen the light of day in over 30 years.

Water Wonderland part 2

In today's posting, I am including two pictures not seen in (what I am guessing) over 30 years. These pictures were locked away in archive folders possibly never to be seen again. I will be posting many more rare photos coming up and I hope you enjoy them.

On Thursday, June 7, 1979, the Disneyland Hotel began a four day celebration to herald the opening of Water Wonderland, located in and around the marina area. The first evening's event was called "Celebrity Cruise to Water Wonderland," a red carpet cocktail party for 7,000 specially invited guests, dressed in nautical attire. Guests were provided a walking tour of the new Aqua Gardens (called "Journey to Aquatic Wonders") and a debut of the Still Green laser sculpture show. Guests were entertained by a floating musical revue ("Pacific Terrific") from a barge in the middle of the marina. Included were a Polynesian ceremonial torch lighting, a fiesta of Mexican music, exhibits of Japanese culture, and fireworks. Following was a premiere of the all new Dancing Waters and Lights Fantastic Show. Invited guests then attended the "Captain's Dinner," hosted by the Wrathers and featuring Japanese, Mexican, and Californian cuisine. The dinner ended with "Showtime Around the World," a musical production presented by Cast Members from Disneyland.

Water Wonderland 1979 Brochure

Each evening at dusk the trumpeting of a conch shell and the beating of a Taiko drum could be heard. Pacific islanders, each wearing a colorful loin-cloth, performed a ceremonial lighting of the propane torches surrounding the marina.

As a part of Water Wonderland, a giant laser sculpture was premiered. Commissioned by Jack Wrather, the laser art was entitled Still Green (a.k.a. Rather Green) by Rockne Krebs, a pioneer in laser art.  The blue-green laser sculpture was presented nightly and could be viewed from many guest rooms. One argon laser was placed atop the Sierra Tower while another was located on the seventh floor of the Marina Tower, shooting two beams 500 feet across the marina. A third was positioned on the roof of Restaurant Row and shot its beam at a small mirror atop the Convention Center, 700 feet away. Nine small mirrors were placed in various locations around the property. As the laser beam hit a mirror, it was redirected to yet another mirror. One beam traveled a half mile to the fifth floor of the Inn-at-the-Park. Eventually, 14 lines of light formed the design of the laser sculpture, covering over 14-million cubic feet of space. Described as a 3-D collage, it was comprised of giant triangles and other unusual geometric shapes. It was so large that no one could view the entire work from one location. Guests walking through the Hotel's property would see an ever-changing configuration of this piece of art. Adding to the sculpture's effects upon the viewer were its reflections in the calm water of the marina and off the charcoal-tinted windows of the three towers. The condition of the atmosphere would also change the sculpture from night to night. Smog, rain, dust, all affected the color and visibility of Still Green.

Please visit our website http://www.magicalhotel.com/ and help support the posts presented here.