Extra Secret Stories of Walt Disney World by Jim Korkis

Author:Jim Korkis [Korkis, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theme Park Press
Published: 2018-06-20T07:00:00+00:00

Coronado Springs

The Legacy of Juan Francisco

Francisco de Coronado left Mexico in 1540 and headed north in search of the fabled seven golden cities of Cibola. Imagineers used that story as a springboard to create a resort that would reflect the textures, colors, and art of both Mexico and the American Southwest.

The resort opened in August 1997 with a backstory:

Coronado Springs was founded by the descendants of a Spanish explorer named Juan Francisco. Searching for gold in 1569, Francisco stumbled upon the ruins of a forty-six-foot-tall Mayan pyramid.

Hundreds of years later, relatives found his charts and decided to mount an expedition of their own. The rugged group liked the place so much that they built houses and put down roots.

Wing Chao, then senior vice president of Master Planning and Architecture, said:

We looked at a map to see where people go on vacation. After determining that they like to go to Mexico and the Southwestern U.S., we just blended the themes.

The project was put on hold several times for a variety of reasons after it was first proposed in 1992. The original plans did not include a convention center, but new studies showed that Walt Disney World did not have enough convention space. However, those WDW resorts with that space had room rates too high for many associations’ budgets.

Finally, with the introduction of tunnel-form cost-conscious construction with poured concrete bays, it became feasible in 1995 to provide convention space and moderately priced rooms. The Coronado ballroom is roughly 60,214-square-foot and is the largest ballroom in the southeastern United States.

The resort was designed to reflect three themes: cabanas, ranchos and casitas. The two-story cabana buildings represent the coastal regions of the American Southwest and Gulf Coast villas. The cabanas surround the rocky beach adjacent to the fifteen acre man-made lake, Lago Dorado.

The architecture and landscape of the ranchos suggest the more arid, country ranch or farmhouse parts of the region with a small stream or arroyo tumbling over a rocky stream bed.

Project coordinator Mark Kohl said:

We made sure the vegetation selected would really grow next to a river in the same region of Mexico.

The casitas were inspired by the urban areas of Mexico and the American Southwest. The casitas are interspersed with colorful plazas and fountains and palm-shaded courtyards.

Kohl continued:

We had to find a balance between Mexico and the Southwest when it came to selecting colors and how they relate. It was a two-year research process where team members went to look and bring back photos, art, and books for inspiration. I have a Mexican stone calendar on my wall. The art we finally selected for the guest rooms provides a better fit for the theme of that particular area.

Palacios are decorated in shades of desert sand and sunset pink. The red tile roofs, mosaic accents, shady courtyards, and sunny patios recall the grand haciendas of the Spanish Colonial era.

Project coordinator Cindy MacKenzie returned from a research trip to Oaxaca with three-foot-tall props in the form of frogs, lobsters, and iguanas to take

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.