According to the Disney Parks Blog , the plans to build the Contemporary Resort were based on “ unitized modular construction .” While the frame for the resort was being built , the rooms were fabricated off-site ( designed by Don Wexler ). When finished , the rooms slid into the building ’ s A-frame structure — sometimes not very accurately — which affected the bottom line . Disney historian Jim Korkis told yesterland . com that the end cost for each room was $ 83,000 over budget . They did not save money as originally intended .
U . S . Steel had hoped this new way of assembly would
DISNEY ’ S CONTEMPORARY RESORT PRESENTATION ( 1971 ) THE ORIGINAL EPCOT
be a pathway to the future of design , but it never really caught on .
To add to the modern feel of the resort , the team designed the Monorail to run through the building via Grand Canyon Concourse and transport guests from the Contemporary to Magic Kingdom .
HISTORIC CONNECTIONS One of the most iconic features of the main tower is the 90-foot mural designed by Disney legend Mary Blair — known for her artwork on Alice in
Wonderland , Peter Pan , and everyone ’ s favorite attraction , “ it ’ s a small world .” Originally , the outside wall of the Outer Rim ( which was once a steakhouse on the concourse ) contained Mary Blair dioramas . Those were all removed by the late 1980s .
The Contemporary was built as a convention hotel and even expanded upon this notion with an addition in 1991 . In fact , the original convention location , the Ballroom of the Americas , is where Richard Nixon gave his most memorable speech