Thursday, February 15, 2007

Disneyland Then and Now: Disneyland Resort

The second feature in the "Disneyland Then and Now" series, this post centers around the history of the Disneyland Resort.


Disneyland Resort Logo | Disney

The Disneyland Resort consists of three hotels, two theme parks, and one shopping/entertainment district. (Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland Park, Disney's California Adventure, and Downtown Disney, respectively.)

However, the Disneyland Resort wasn't always home to these beloved properties. In fact, in the first few years of Disneyland, there wasn't even a Disneyland Resort -- the land was instead owned by various companies, and was later bought by Disney.


Many changes and additions have occurred at the resort since 1955. Going from left to right: Disneyland Hotel circa 50's/60's and now; Grand Californian Hotel and Paradise Pier Hotel; Disneyland Sign throughout the years. The sign (in first and second picture) was taken down for good in 1999, and the sign seen in the last picture is merely the entrance to the resort.

The current president of the Disneyland Resort is Ed Grier, who was appointed in July 2006.

The Disneyland Hotel is the original hotel of the resort, although Disney didn't own it until 1989--Jack Wrather had financed and owned the hotel and refused to sell it until then. Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa opened in 2001 as part of the major expansion of the resort, while Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel originally began life as the Emerald Hotel in 1984, although later known as the Pan Pacific Hotel. (Disney finally purchased the hotel in 1995, thus changing the name to Disneyland Pacific Hotel. The current name came during the previously mentioned expansion, after a land in Disney's California Adventure.)

Disney's California Adventure is the second theme park in the Disneyland Resort, opening in February of 2001. Downtown Disney also opened in 2001, and is an outdoor shopping and entertainment district.

If you have any questions/comments/etc., feel free to leave a comment here.
Photo Credits (in order): Disneyland Postcards, Trip Advisor, Mouse Planet, Team Benns, Go California, personal picture.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Do you have any idea what happened to the original Disneyland signs? In fact, I wonder what is done with most of the rides, signs, etc. that are removed from the park?