It began back in 1999 when the last of the original Disneyland Hotel was destroyed to make way for Downtown Disney. They supposedly saved the last original orange tree from when the property was an orange grove, but there was a some debate as to its authenticity, and anyway in a few months it too had died replaced with a new younger model.
Now on August 14th, the towers at the Disneyland Hotel will have their names changed forever leaving behind the legacy of the original Disneyland Hotel and the family that owned it, Jack Wrather.
- Marina Tower will become the Magic Tower
- Sierra Tower will become the Dreams Tower
- Bonita Tower, named after Wrather’s wife, will become the Wonder Tower
- Marina Sundries will be renamed to Donald’s Gifts and Sundries.
- The meeting rooms and ballrooms also will have name changes to reflect the new Disney themed motif.
I had originally heard that the three towers will be demolished to make way for a brand new complex. Now it looks like they’re just due for another extreme makeover.
I grew up seven miles from Disneyland, so there was never any reason to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. I moved away 20 years ago and finally fulfilled a lifelong dream to be a guest at the Hotel when I brought my family down for a week last March.
Was it worth paying almost triple the rates to stay there? Uh, well, maybe… Just to fulfill a dream. It was certainly nice to be so close to the monorail (when it was working). But I saw so much about the Disneyland Hotel that was not ageing gracefully. There were so many things that just didn’t seem like they had been given the Disney touch. Or weren’t being maintained in a manner that you expect from Disney.
I hope they do more than just change the tower names. The whole place needs huge changes, from top to bottom.
The last remaining ties to the Wrather family. Not quite as sad as the last night we stayed in a Garden Room in 1999 on the last night they were available. At least the buildings will still be there. Even sadder, there is only one picture of Jack and Bonita Wrather in the Hotel. Some sort of tribute needs to be on display for them. They were a very important part of the very early days of Disneyland. Jack trusted Walt and helped his friend out in his time of need in what was, to say the least, a very risky venture at the time.
Don Ballard
Author,
Disneyland Hotel, the Early Years 1954-1988
http://www.magicalhotel.com
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