Love seeing the vintage SOG photos. Too bad there aren't more of them around from the Golf Resort/Disney Inn Days. I would love to see a side by side comparison at the same locations between the two.
Those old armoires are gone by now I thought. I thought that all the rooms were remodeled with new furniture around 2010/2011. Still though all the furniture from the Magnolia wing originated from the Disney Inn from the 80s until the remodel.
The Garden Gallery restaurant was originally where the East Meets West Gift shop and Rec Room are now. Where the ticket sales are now was once a lounge. The area where the Guest Services and Starbucks Cafe are in front of the bridge connects to the Magnolia Wing is where the main lobby was. A hallway continued from where the bridge to the drive way and porte cochere where AAFES was off to the side. Guests first entered this hallway to get to the resort. Now where the sloped hallway next to the Reception is where the new meets old.
Originally, before the golf clubhouse was turned into the Golf Resort, only the building where AAFES, East Meets West, and Ticket Sales are now composed the resort. Here was the clubhouse where there was a restaurant which then became the Garden Gallery and now the gift shop/rec room, a Pro Shop, in the general area of AAFES now, and a lobby where now is the Starbucks/area in front of the bridge. Below this was where they kept the golf carts.
Then since the Polynesian and Contemporary resorts were filled to capacity, Disney needed more rooms. Expanding the golf clubhouse would be an affordable and quick option. They built the bridge to today's Magnolia wing connecting the main lobby and restaurant to the rooms. However, the expansion really was only half of the current Magnolia Wing. Originally the rooms formed a "T" and the hotel ended where the sliding doors lead out to the pool and now where the game room/laundry room and Spa are now. The Magnolia Pool was also added during this time.
In the 80s though Disney wanted to give the resort an update and take away emphases off the golfing aspect of the resort. They gave it a light Snow White theme and positioned it as a quiet country retreat. The Millpond "Mickey" Pool was added and Evergreens. Also two wings were added to the original "T" from the Golf Resort giving the Magnolia Wing its current "U" shape, creating a courtyard around the pool. Also they changed the golf restaurant into the Garden Gallery. In the transformation to the Disney Inn, the rooms and hallways were exactly how SOG left them until the 2010/2011 remodel.
thank you!!!
