Do you wanna know a secret?
Do you promise not to tell? We are standing by a wishing well! Make a wish into the well, that's all you have to do. If you hear an echo back, your wish will come true. The partnership between Walt Disney and Admiral Joe Fowler was essential for getting Disneyland built and open under the time and financial constraints impacting the park’s construction. Walt asked Fowler in 1954 to oversee the building of Disneyland. In a 1993 interview with Orlando Sentinel reporter Harry Wessel, Fowler shared that a few days after being hired, Walt boiled down for him how their relationship would work: “Now, look, I will try to have the ideas, and you make the engineering a reality out of it. You can’t do it, tell me. That’s all.” Thankfully for Fowler, and for all of us, there were only a couple instances where Fowler wasn’t able to make Walt’s ideas a reality..
Did you know when Disneyland first opened there was a pharmacy on Main Street? Upjohn Pharmacy was located at the end of Main Street near the Penny Arcade. Of course, it wasn’t an operating pharmacy but rather a showcase of turn-of-the-century pharmacies and the history of medicine. Though they did hand out free mini bottles of Unicap vitamins, as you can see in the photo below. Originally, nearly all of the Main Street shops and most of the restaurants throughout the park were operated be lessees, not Disney. Walt Disney acknowledged when the park was being constructed that he didn’t have the time or expertise to run such establishments. Of course, that would certainly change as time went by. Being a landlord didn’t suit Walt, who quickly grew frustrated when the lessees operated with inconsistent store hours. The effort put forth by many of the lessees was initially dampened by the fact many did not expect the park to survive for very long.
Town Square is the heart of Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A. Just like the turn of the century towns that it is based on, it serves as the meeting place and center of the area. Originally, the bandstand was to be here, but once in place, Walt saw that it blocked the view of the Castle and messed with the forced scale and perspective. What you will find in Town Square is The Train Station, The Opera House (home of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln), City Hall, and The Fire Department. At one time, you could even bank in Town Square, thanks to the Bank of America. The Disney Gallery has replaced the bank, and the old vault now holds artistic collectibles that guests can blow their paychecks on. Every day, guests can catch the patriotic flag lowering ceremony that is held here.
In 1954, Walt Disney publicly announced an agreement between the Walt Disney Company and ABC to broadcast the Disneyland television series. At the same time Walt announced the opening of Disneyland would occur in July 1955. The most important element of the ABC-Disney agreement, which was hammered out between Roy Disney and ABC executive Leonard Goldenson, was ABC’s commitment to guarantee up to $4.5 million in construction loans for Disneyland. In exchange for the loan guarantee and $500,000 in upfront cash, ABC received a 34.48 percent ownership stake in Disneyland.
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