IoA's new ride

[F-L-A]

Rumor is your screenname will no longer be associated with the ride.

 

[Sylvester McBean]

Rumor is your screenname will no longer be associated with the ride.

I know, and that sucks.

 

[UKDEB]

Progress City is a fascinating story connected with Walt, the World's Fair in New York of 1964 and, ultimately, the creation of WDW and Epcot. Progressland was the pavilion Walt (and his Imagineers) created for GE as one of four WDI enterprises at the Fair. Progress City was the final part of the 'show' (which is still the Carousel of Progress in MK), a 160ft model that covered almost 7,000 sq ft. However, it is not completely clear even from some of Walt's own musings (read the book Designing Disney's Theme Parks - The Architecture of Reassurance) if he really imagined Progress City being created for real in Orlando. Many people think Progress City was only Walt's vision for a city of the future, as outlined by his original idea for an Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow (EPCOT), and NOT the blueprint for what we now know as Epcot itself. In fact, much of Walt's imaginings ideas for EPCOT (as opposed to Epcot) sadly died with him, and it is hard to imagine anyone creating a city of the scope of Progress City on an area of just 47 square miles. When CoP was brought to the MK in 1975, the building would not accommodate the Progress City final act, and it was hived off to be part of the 'scenery' of the TTA (then called the WEDWay People Mover). Either way, it is an amazing model and really deserves a much bigger showcase than the glimpse people get on the TTA. I'm pretty sure not all the original model is on show there, as it should be more than 50 yards long. You can also look up more detail on www.waltopia.com and allears.net (under their Carousel of Progress listing).

Fascinating - thanks, Simon. I'll be sure to take a closer look next time I ride the TTA. CoP is one of my favourite attractions - I love the fact that it's one of Walt's own creations and I can only imagine how cutting edge it must have been in 1964. The fact that it holds its own amongst today's attractions (IMHO at least) is incredible.