Walt Disney Imagineering - Non-theme Park Projects

Non-theme Park Projects

The Imagineers have been called on by many other divisions of the Walt Disney Company as well as being contracted by outside firms to design and build structures outside of the theme parks.

• The very first Disney Store opened in Glendale, California, near Imagineering headquarters, and was designed and constructed by a group of architectural Imagineers.
• Design and construction of the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy for Disney Cruise Line
• Environmental and graphic design for The Disney Cruise Line and DCL's Castaway Cay
• Imagineering have co-operated with Walt Disney Consumer Products on four more occasions for Disney Stores. Firstly, WDI developed the Walt Disney Gallery at the Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, California (open for a short time in the 1990s, next to the still-operating Disney Store), and then a Roman themed Disney Store at The Forum Shops at Caesars in Las Vegas. Two more themed flagship Disney stores were opened in San Francisco, California, and New York City, New York - the latter having been developed into a World of Disney.
• After the purchase of the Disney Stores by The Children's Place in 2004, Disney developed a more exclusive chain of flagship Disney stores, called World of Disney (see above). Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (at the Walt Disney World Resort), Anaheim, California (at the Disneyland Resort) and New York City. Each have been designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. A fourth incarnation of the "World of Disney" brand is due to arrive in Disney Village at Disneyland Paris in 2012.
• Imagineering designed the prototype 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2) 'Club Disney' interactive family fun center in Thousand Oaks, California. It was the first of several Disney Location Based Entertainment (LBE) venues of the mid to late 1990s that were eventually closed.
• Another Imagineering designed Location Based Entertainment product was DisneyQuest, a high-tech, virtual reality arcade of about 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) located in Disney Village (now referred to as Downtown Disney, West Side) at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. DisneyQuest has themed areas called Score, Explore, Create, and Replay. DisneyQuest in Chicago no longer exists.
• Former Senior Vice President of Imagineering John Hench designed the "Tower of Nations" for the opening and closing ceremony of the 1960 Winter Olympics, where Walt Disney was Pageantry Committee Chairman.
• Imagineering designed galleries and exhibitions for the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, California.
• Imagineering developed the Encounter Restaurant, a science fiction-esque redesign of the restaurant suspended at the top of the 135-foot parabolic arches of the Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport.
• Imagineering manufactured flight attendant uniforms for Northwest Airlines from Claude Montana designs in 1989 due in part to the fact that Northwest's then-CEO Al Checchi was also a member of The Walt Disney Company's board. The WDI-made uniforms only lasted until 1992.
• When Disney purchased ABC, the Imagineers remodeled the ABC Times Square Studios in New York City.
• Imagineering designed exhibits for the Port Discovery children's museum at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.
• Imagineering designed the "Below Deck" sound show depicting Blackbeard's final battle as part of the Pirate and Treasure Museum in Saint Augustine, Florida.
• When Disney purchased the California Angels, they renamed the team to Anaheim Angels, and Walt Disney Imagineering and HOK Sport renovated the then-30-year-old Anaheim-owned Anaheim Stadium, adding modern amenities.