Epcot when it was new

I finally got bored enough to scan a few of my old Kodachrome slides of EPCOT from November 1982 when everything was brand new.

This is my favorite shot of Spaceship Earth. I've tried to duplicate it, but it can't be done. The pond in the foreground was, as far as I can determine, located between the current Pin Central and Innoventions West. (I think the roof just visible to the left is Innoventions West, which at that time was called Communicore West.)



Here's one looking north across the fountain towards Spaceship Earth.



Here's the Torii gate at Japan.



Click on the photos to go to their Flickr pages.

 

Dennis these shots are great! I am curious though as to the location of the first one. I am not "feeling" the spot you mentioned. I hope that we can figure it out for you.

 

I agree.

 

You're right...that is the corner of Communicore West. You were standing against the Communicore building, just a bit north of where the pass-through is towards the Land. The pond is no longer there...filled in and now that spot where you are standing is where the maze-like planters and benches are now, just off the center rotunda area under the diamond-shaped awnings north of the fountain. The little 'garden' on the south end of the Spaceship Earth exit building wasn't there either (just a smaller patch of grass - where they later advertised the solar robotic mowers), and that building has changed too.

Thanks for sharing! I've been going to Disney World since I was 3 and the park opened in 1971, and was there for the opening of 2 of the 3 additional parks (close on MGM...I was there a month after it opened, as I was finishing off my junior year in college in New Orleans when it opened in May!). Epcot was instantly my favorite in 1982, and has been ever since.

 

Justin, thanks for the detail. I was a little confused on where he was standing and with your description of the area I can now see where hw was standing. I think the pond or whatever you want to call it is what was throwing me off.

 

It threw me off for a sec too, because your mind immediately goes to all known current ponds. I had to think back to the old days, before Wonders of Life, Living Seas, Norway, Morocco, and Soarin, and when Test Track was still Motion and Mission Space was still Horizons! And when that pond was still sitting there between the old Communicores.

 

cool photos. thanks for sharing.
just think if your film had gps on it in 1982!

 

Thanks for all of the comments and the confirmation of the location of the first shot. Even though I took the photo, the passing years had erased my memory of the exact location. The keys that helped me find it are the telltale shape of the building visible in both SSE photos, and a 1982 Epcot map that I found.

If you're still unsure of the location, here is a Google map satellite view of the approximate location as it appears today.

This weekend I'll browse through my other slides from that day to see if there's anything else worth posting.

 

Oops, the hyperlinks don't show up too well. Here they are with color:

1982 Epcot map

Google map satellite view

 

whoa whoa whoa

Living Seas was planned for 82, but didn't open til 86. Is this a draft that shouldn't have been released?

 

If it did, he would have to kill us after telling us.

 

Not only Living Seas...but that map includes Morocco too, which didn't open until 84.

And even more fun, that map has the defunct Equitorial Africa pavilion listed, which would have been opened sometime around when Morocco opened...and not just as a drink stop with some drums!

 

If I remember correctly, the early maps of EPCOT had the elements that were on the drawing board but not started. Hence Equatorial Africa Pavilion.

When we were there in 1985, I remember there being signs for "Future Home of..." for countries that never came. Through the fog of memories of ancient past, I think it was a sign for a middle eastern country

 

The source of the image claims that it is a 1982 map. Perhaps they're wrong, or maybe it's a "Here's what it's gonna look like some day" map.

And Justin's correct too; I distinctly remember the Morocco pavilion as being Under Construction in '82.

Here is another map that is probably more accurate, but does not show the ponds next to SSE.

I find it hard to believe that someone would put something on this interweb thingy that's not 100% correct!

 

It seems the 1982 maps that are floating around were illustrating the open attractions as well as those expected to open soon and already on the drawing board. Eq Africa and Living Seas were already sketched and modeled and ready to go, so they were included in early maps. But along the way, funding issues kept Eq. Africa from going forward, and the space just became the Outpost after some time.

And Ray - you're right - there were plans (and signs) for Israel and I can distinctly remember the Israel letters in blue script on the sign. I seem to recall a sign over by Germany that said Spain was coming soon too. But they never happened - for various reasons including lack of outside funding, lower attendance for Epcot after the initial opening, and a not insignificant issue with terrorism or vandalism with the contentious environment in Israel and the Middle East.

 

Here are a few more scans from November, 1982.

The thing that strikes me about this shot is how bare it looks. Notice how the Universe of Energy is clearly visible on the right.



This scene hasn't changed much.



The Imagination pavilion.



Imagination and The Land.



Germany.



The thing that surpises me the most about these night shots is that I took only one or two shots of most scenes. Whatever I was doing, it must have been right.

Click on the photos to go to their Flickr pages.