Two Cool Views, August 1963
I have a pair of unusual images for you today... it's always nice to find something different.
Like this one! I am a bit baffled as to where our photographer was standing; looking at the relationship of the Matterhorn to Main Street Station, I think he was southeast of the park, possibly in the parking lot of one of the many hotels along Harbor Boulevard. Or perhaps they were in the far reaches of Disneyland's lot. What do you think?
Zooming in a bit, we can see the tops of landmarks such as City Hall, the Emporium, the Opera House, and even a bit of Sleeping Beauty Castle. I expect Nanook to identify every car in the parking lot, and I don't want any excuses!
Also from August of '63 is this photo, presumably taken aboard the Disneyland Railroad; there's Frontierland Station to our right - elevation 144 feet - supplementary oxygen is recommended. I love how much the park looks like... well, a park (not an amusement park), with plenty of grass and trees and sunshine and benches for resting.
To the right we can peek above some walls to see some of the earliest work being done for New Orleans Square.
19 comments:
Those first to distance shots are what any Disneyland fan would dread .... being so close but SO far ......
Major-
Yes, all the cars in the parking lot have four wheels. Love the NOS construction fence, topped with a row of flags.
Thanks, Major.
I can also see the grove of eucalyptus trees between Town Square and the Jungle Cruise. Nice shot from the SE corner of the parking lot.
Are those the red vinyl leaves of the Swiss Family Treehouse just beyond the New Orleans Square construction area? Thanks, Major.
144 feet? Gross!
The first photo was taken from the pool area of the Magic Star (later the Galaxy) Motel at 1735 S. Harbor Blvd. It's the northernmost motel on the west side of Harbor Blvd in this January 1964 photo.
To make sure you're looking at the right building, it's the one that's almost the same length as the Candy Cane Inn to the south; the shorter building at the very northern end is the Domino Restaurant. The pool area is on the northwest side of the building, framed on the north and west with plantings. If you zoom way in, you can just make out the palms visible in this photo on the other side of the motel lot and the wooden utility poles in the grassy area beyond.
This location is now a service road and backlot storage area behind Radiator Springs Racers.
Sorry - "backstage storage area." It'd have to be a few hundred yards north to be a backlot storage area...if Hollywood Studios was a real studio.
Chuck, very clever. BTW, The area you're referring to is called "Hollywood Land", but was formerly known as "Hollywood Pictures Backlot". It feels nothing like golden age Hollywood to me, though Disney finally got it right with a So. Cal. theme when they built "Buena Vista Street".
I wonder if that grassy area was utilized as overflow parking for Disneyland during peak attendance days. It seems flat and clean enough. One thing is for sure. That old parking lot couldn't accommodate the vehicles of the massive crowds that show up at the Disneyland Resort today.
Chuck, forgot to say thanks for the links. Thanks! I love aerial shots of Disneyland.
Ken, what - no love for pointing out the utility poles? :-)
Ah, the great old motels of the mid-century. Each one with it's own unique theme and personality. I miss 'em. I miss the neon, the pool with an actual deep end, and real keys with that plastic elongated fob you could drop in any mailbox. Old farts like me remember stuff like that. I bet whoever took this photo had just arrived and was contemplating the day's activities in the park. I can just here the kids in the background saying be sure to get the Matterhorn in the picture dad! Good times for that fam. Thanks Major.
Mike Cozart, yeah, as a kid I would have found this to be torture!
Nanook, well, you’re not wrong, I have to admit! I wonder about those angled supports on the other side of that wall, as if they expected it to be subjected to a lot of force from the front.
K. Martinez, after looking at so many old photos of the park, those eucalyptus trees are as familiar as the castle. And yes, there are the red vinyl leaves!
Melissa, what if they are puppy feet?
Chuck, wow, I am impressed. Based on those palm trees in the front view on that postcard, it sure looks like you have a winner. Thanks to the link of the Daveland aerial photo. So strange to think that the park now extends all that way these days. And I will accept either “backlot” or “backstage”.
K. Martinez, can you believe that I have still never visited Buena Vista Street or Carsland? While I don’t really care for the way those massive parking structures look, they are definitely a more efficient use of land when it comes to the mundane task of storing cars for the day.
Chuck, Ken Martinez’s love of the utility poles is so well known by now, he probably figured it was a given.
Jonathan, I would bet money that whoever took that first picture had just arrived at the motel and they were mighty impressed with their proximity to the park. There it is, RIGHT THERE. Must have been fun, and they could have easily walked to the front gate as long as they didn’t mind another 1/4 mile or so. I’ve always wanted one of the old Disneyland Hotel keys with one of those plastic fobs, but they go for way more than I am willing to pay.
In the mid 60s, we used to drive up and park outside the parking lot fence in the motel's lot to watch the fireworks. I keep thinking it was a Stovall's Space Age but that was a long time ago. KS
This is so much fun.
Thank you, Chuck for the in-depth analysis. Someone, probably you, should write a book about the lost motels of Anaheim.
Is that parking lot just open to the Disneyland parking lot with no fence at all?
I can't remember the last time I had a room key with one of those plastic fobs. If I ever get another one, I will probably keep it as a souvenir, no matter where it is from. Hadn't thought about those for years. The cardwsipe keys are now so cheap that some events I attend have customized cards with promotional info on them that you are expected to take home. Not the same.
Not only the Swiss Tree leaves are visible, the branches (and possibly the trunk) of the Dominguez palm are seen just beyond.
Back braces like those on the construction fence are needed for wind loading when the fence posts can't be dug deep enough to resist the force against the plywood panels. Interesting to see how casual they are about views into the construction compared to the weapons-grade security employed today.
This little plaza in front of the railroad station is very "grown-up" today. A favorite spot if the Haunted Mansion queue isn't filling every spare inch.
Excellent photos today, Major. Thank you.
JG
KS, this motel did eventually become part of the Stovall's group, which is when they changed the name to the Galaxy Motel and rebranded it as a Best Western.
JG, I was just thinking again this morning that somebody should put together a comprehensive, interactive website of the historic Disneyland-area motels. I was just hoping it would be somebody else...
@Chuck and KS, the Stovall version is the one I remember.
Chuck, it is your destiny. You cannot escape it.
JG
KS, I used to think about the kids who lived close enough to the park that they could really see the fireworks well. JEALOUS!
JG, if Chuck isn’t open to writing about the motels of Anaheim, I hope that somebody else IS. Kevin Kidney? Chris Merritt? That’s a good question about the lack of fencing… I honestly don’t see one, which is odd. Somebody could totally avoid that 50 cent parking fee. I sort of miss the old hotel keys, but the plastic cards are much easier to carry around. Thanks for the info about the bracing on the fence… I thought maybe they were there to hold up to nosy guests trying to peek into the construction.
Chuck, I’m sorry, but you have been nominated and ELECTED to write an exhaustive 6-volume, slipcased tome all about the motels surrounding Disneyland. Please submit a rough outline by next week.
JG, YES!
Apparently there are other people nostalgic those elongated diamind motel keychains. The band They Might Be Giants included one as part of their fan club membership this year: https://tmbgifc.com/
Dave O’Neil if Extint Attractions Club did a book on the hotels and motels surrounding Disneyland - but I’ve never actually seen a copy of the book.
Chuck, I thought about the utility poles, but figured GDB readers heard enough about my professed love for them. But I do love 'em! :-)
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