On this day in 1955, the Disneyland Hotel first opened in Anaheim, California.When Disneyland debuted in July 1955, the park was in a remote area not near any motels or hotels. Walt Disney wanted to build an inn for Disneyland visitors, but his finances had been depleted by the construction of the theme park. So he negotiated a deal with Jack Wrather (a Texas oil millionaire) and his business partner Maria Helen Alvarez to own and operate a hotel across from Disneyland.
For the next 3 years, Wrather-Alvarez Productions ran the Disneyland Hotel. (In 1958 Wrather bought Alvarez out ... making him the sole owner until his death in 1984.) The original hotel consisted of just over 100 rooms in 5 two-story complexes, but over the years the hotel was expanded to include 3 guest room towers, restaurants, and other modern conveniences.
Today Disney owns the Disneyland Hotel, but none of the original 1955 portions of the building remain.
Click HERE for more October 05 Disney History.
1 comment:
Making him the sole owner until his death in 1984....not true. Jack's mother Mazie also owned a portion of the Disneyland Hotel along with another silent partner in New York from the Loeb family.
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