The Cove

[Tdisney]

Just got back from Disney and drove by the Cove under construction. I am sure it will be nice on the inside but the exterior however nice looks just like some high rise in Ft. Lauderdale . Seeing it next to the swan and dolphin definitely makes it look cookie cutter , crowded and it doesn’t belong. Standing on the bridge to the boardwalk from the beach club had such a great view at night . Having this in the back ground will look completely out of place. I always thought Disney was the best at attention to detail but this with the new blue square building for the avengers ride seems lacking.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Disney doesn’t have anything to do with the Cove.

 

[OKW Lover]

Got to agree with the OP. The Cove just doesn't go with the Swolphin. I'm surprised that its not at least painted a matching color. Or have some large sculpture on top.

I have to think that Disney could have exerted some influence on what is built on their property. They did back when the Swan and Dolphin were first built.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Just FYI, it was renamed The Swan Reserve last year.

I've personally always thought that Swan/Dolphin look a bit out of place to me, so different strokes for different folks.

My family was just commenting last week about how good The Swan Reserve looks and how it's a nice new addition to the area skyline. It has a unique design that I find appealing, but obviously others won't.

 

[Dave006]

I've personally always thought that Swan/Dolphin look a bit out of place to me, so different strokes for different folks.

They are true late 80's influence from the mind of Michele Eisner with the color palette and the Giant Swans and Giant Dolphin fish. We just learned to not look up over the years!

Dave

 

[JFDIS]

When I drove by today I surprised not to see any balconies.

 

[mrsap]

They are true late 80's influence from the mind of Michele Eisner with the color palette and the Giant Swans and Giant Dolphin fish. We just learned to not look up over the years!

Dave

Is that Michael’s sister?!

 

[Dave006]

Yes his twin or my bad spelling but I am not sure.

Dave

 

[OKW Lover]

I've personally always thought that Swan/Dolphin look a bit out of place to me, so different strokes for different folks.

Certainly agree with this. the juxtaposition of the Swolphin with BW and Y/BClub is jarring. I've been visiting WDW for a long, long time. Back even before Y/BClub was constructed. I welcomed the BW addition to Crescent Lake as I thought it was well designed to compliment the area.

Then the Swolphin struck. Horrendous IMHO. Hated the intrusion on sight lines from Epcot. Still do. I always say that one of the nice things about staying at the Swolphin is that you don't have to look at them from the outside.

Yes, that's probably harsh. Its only partially tongue in cheek. I've not been a fan of Michael Grave's architecture in general.

The Swolphin came to be located where they are as a result of a settlement between Disney and Tishman (sp?) right about the time Eisner came to the company. Originally they were going to be just plain big box structures. It was Eisner, along with Wing Chow, who organized a design competition that encouraged architects to come up with "different" designs.

 

[kylenne]

It’s funny...when we stayed at the Dolphin on our family trips I thought those buildings were the coolest thing EVER as a kid. Then again I was 10. But I was confused about the weird looking fish they were calling dolphins until I got a book on heraldry from the library (heraldic dolphins look like that).

They look goofy but make me nostalgic, I guess it’s kinda like the infamous cake castle, only permanent. The new hotel was just a construction pit the last time I was in the area, but I will reserve judgment until I see it complete. I was really skeptical about GDT looking too much like a generic Hilton tower or something but it turned out to look really nice.

 

[ChrisNY2]

Disney doesn’t have anything to do with the Cove.

Disney owns the land and they definitely signed off on the design and other plans.

 

[bigAWL]

The new hotel was just a construction pit the last time I was in the area, but I will reserve judgment until I see it complete. I was really skeptical about GDT looking too much like a generic Hilton tower or something but it turned out to look really nice.

You can see artists renderings at the Marriott website...
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcokc-walt-disney-world-swan-reserve/