Western Illinois University Tour - Part 2

Last week, I began to describe the tour that I gave for a class from Western Illinois University. We are walking through the Magic Kingdom.

Stop 4 - Where the Fantasyland Skyway station has become a backdrop to a fountain then move through the passageway and stop in front of the Columbia Harbor House.

Tour: As we shall see, the Imagineers did a great job of using architectural details to tell a linear story. This time machine effect is one of the organizational guiding principles for Liberty Square and Frontierland. From this spot, we can see a transition from London to Colonial America. As you walk from Peter Pan toward the Haunted Mansion, both areas shared the same romanticized Tudor design language. The Tudor style was big in the 1500s into the 1600s. The heavy timbers could come from Germany, Switzerland or Bavaria but are most famously used in England. Let’s walks through the passageway into Liberty Square.

This style was also popular in the Colonies. A subtle way to show the transition from one land to another is in the signage. On the Fantasyland side, the Columbia Harbor House has signs with fish and chickens to represent what is inside. On the Liberty Square side, you see eagles and English text. You have arrived in New England some time in the mid-1700s. Much of the architecture is in the Cape Code style, which is defined by a low, broad frame buildings that are generally a story and a half. They feature steep, perfectly pitched roofs with end gables, a large central chimney, and very little ornamentation.

Other cool details include the address system. If you add “18” to the house number, you will reveal the year that architectural style was popular. Look up in the window above door 26 and you will see the two lanterns that Paul Revere has left behind. Look at the wall at the end of the alley and you will see 4 interlocking fists, which was a symbol of trade unions. One other quirk about Liberty Square is the lack of bathrooms. True to the theme, there are no indoor bathrooms. The ones in Columbia Harbour House are technically inside of Fantasyland. The ones in the Liberty Tree Tavern cross the boundary into Main Street. Of course, I had to mentioned the sagging shutters and the leather straps. You know that story, right? Let’s walk toward the Haunted Mansion.

Reality: And the rain, rain, rain...At least we were all prepared. Sure kept the crowds down to nothing. Loved it.

Stop 5 - The Haunted Mansion

Tour: As we stand in front of the Haunted Mansion, we are transported to New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. This is the land of Sleepy Hollow, The Headless Horseman, and Ichabod Crane. The exterior of the Haunted Mansion was designed by Imagineer Claude Coats. He wanted it to look a bit scarier then the one at Disneyland to give parents a warning. He felt that Walt’s direction to keep the Haunted Mansion super clean was a bit tame. The effects for this attraction were built at the same time as Disneyland’s and was ready 6 months before the park opened.

The Haunted Mansion is in the Dutch Gothic Revival style also known as Victorian Gothic or Neo-Gothic. This trend was started in England in the 1740s. The stone and brickwork is common to the English Tudor style as well. This style is defined by arches that thrust upward toward the sky and large stone foundations and cornerstones. The building has strong vertical lines to make it seem tall and forbidding. There is almost a claw-like appearance. If you look on top, some have suggested that the ornamentation is similar to chess pieces. Every piece is represented except the Knight. The Haunted Mansion is influenced by Harry Packer Mansion (1874) in Jim Thorpe PA and the Lyndhurst Mansion (1838) located in Tarrytown NY. Lyndhurst was the setting for the 1970 movie Dark Shadows.

Of course, we had to pause by the Graveyard and look at some of the highlights including Mr. Toad and tributes to model maker Dave Burkhart, Claude Coats, and Leota Toombs. Time to walk toward the Yankee Trader and the Hall of Presidents.

Reality: The Haunted Mansion area in the rain...we set this up rather well.

Stop 6 - The Hall of Presidents

Tour: We have now stepped into Colonial Philadelphia. The time period is around 1787 when the United State Constitution was ratified. The buildings in this area are in the Federal Style. You see low-pitched rooflines sometimes with a balustrade. The windows are arranged symmetrically around a center doorway. Many times, there are narrow side windows that flank the doorway. Along the cornice are dentil moldings. They kind of look like teeth. You will also find elliptical or circular windows as well as oval rooms and lots of arches. Let’s move toward the Liberty Square gateway.

Reality: Buy this point, we were taking advantage of the many covered areas that line Liberty Square. There were no crowds as the early guests were running toward the E-ticket attractions on the edges of the park.

Stop 7 - Footbridge area

Tour: As you walk toward the bridge that crosses over to the Plaza Hub, you are transported to Dutch New Amsterdam (the forerunner of New York). This gave me a chance to talk about the early history of Liberty Square. The idea was first proposed for Disneyland but never realized. It was determined that another New Orleans Square was too close to Florida to be truly exotic and with the America Bicentennial on the horizon, a patriotic themed seemed like a good idea. If you look closely at the crates on the bridge you will notice they are marked TEA. Within Liberty Square, the gardens are rather formal in tribute to Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. The surrounding landscaping is informal and wild. The contrast is very deliberate.

The bridge is modeled after the Concord Bridge, which is also known as the Old North Bridge. This is the spot where the Minutemen faced off with the British in 1775. This is the moment when our nation changed and a appropriate start to our journey through America’s past.

Reality: The skies opened up and I took the group toward the Sleep Hollow food stand that sells funnel cakes. Delicious smelling funnel cakes. Just getting cooked. That smell. Although we were dry, I was torturing everybody, myself included. I want a funnel cake....

While I eat, we will move over to the Ye Old Christmas Shoppe next.