Many towns across America offer fine examples of Victorian architecture, but the Grand Floridian reflects a special subset of this style. Its primary antecedent was the once-ubiquitous turn-of-the-century seaside resort. A few of these live on as real places

Newport Beach-based architecture firm Wimberly, Alison, Tong & Goo executed the design alongside Disney’s in-house architects. The firm set out to design a hotel that would evoke the nostalgic charm of the Victorian seaside resort. However, just like buildings from this period, the Grand Floridian is not true to one particular style. (Victorians were not known for stylistic coherence–more on that in our Cape May post). Design partner Gerald Allison described the style as “American Victorian, basically the Queen Anne style.” (Dunlop, p. 109). “Basically” is the important word there. The Grand Floridian drew from a number of distinct hotels across the country for its design and character.

Fortunately for Grand Floridian fans, a few of these places are still around today and are ready for your visit. These hotels managed to survive fires, hurricanes, and redevelopment attempts and continue to offer guests a sense of the grandeur that was once the Victorian seaside hotel. Follow along for a tour of the real places that inspired Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Hotel del Coronado, Coronado, California

This famous San Diego resort was the primary inspiration for the Grand Floridian’s exterior. Affectionately known as “the Del,” the Hotel del Coronado features a conspicuous red roof and sprawling white complex that you’ll recognize instantly.

The Del debuted in 1888 to great fanfare, just across the bay from San Diego proper. At the time, it was the largest resort hotel in the world and would be the largest electrified building when it underwent that transformation. Today, it holds the record for second-largest wooden structure in the United States. It is, in fact, one of the last surviving examples of a once-prominent American architectural genre: the wooden seaside resort.

The Del has hosted countless dignitaries and celebrities over the years, and continues to offer guests an elegant experience in southern California. For more on the hotel’s history, including information on daily docent-led tours, visit the Del’s interactive historical timeline.

Gasparilla Inn & Club, Gasparilla Island, Florida

The Gasparilla Inn & Club on Boca Grande stands out as one of only two Florida hotels on this Grand Floridian-inspired list. You might recognize the name from one of the Grand Floridian’s restaurants–the Gasparilla Island Grill. This quick-service restaurant is open 24/7, and while its look has changed over time following a series of renovations, it’s retained its light and airy feel, with pale greens and bronze fixtures reminiscent of a Florida palm house.

Like many resort areas from the period, the real Gasparilla Inn’s story is intertwined with that of the railroad. In the early 1900s, the American Agricultural Chemical Company was shipping the valuable chemical phosphate, a key ingredient in fertilizer, from southwest Florida by barge. Recognizing the efficiencies to be gained from shipping product by rail, the company established two subsidiaries–one, the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad and two, the Boca Grande Land Company.

At the same time, tarpon fishing drew wealthy northern visitors to the area, made much more accessible by train. Seeing the opportunity, the Land Company began work on a resort in 1909 and in 1911, the Inn opened as “The Hotel Boca Grande.” Almost immediately, locals began opening shops and businesses around the hotel and the railroad brought car-fulls of northerners.

In light of the hotel’s success, the developers sought to expand the simple original structure. In 1912, they hired well-known Florida architect Francis Kennard to design an expansion, and it was during this time that the hotel’s distinguishable Queen Anne elements began to appear. The developers shipped polished new furnishings from Wanamaker’s in New York, and the the hotel as we know it today came to be. The expanded hotel opened for the 1913 season under its new moniker, “The Gasparilla Inn.”

When you visit, don’t miss the 1910 train depot down the street from the Inn. Located on the corner of Park Avenue and Fourth Street, the historic depot has been restored as a mixed-use building, with The Loose Caboose Restaurant occupying its south end. Stop by for a grouper sandwich or their acclaimed homemade ice cream before settling in at our #2 stop among the real places that inspired Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Omni Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

Although not a seaside resort, there’s no questioning the Omni Mount Washington‘s connection to the Grand Floridian with its bright white facade and red roof.

The creation of New York financier Joseph Stickney, the Mount Washington Hotel came to life in 1902 after two years of construction efforts by 250 Italian craftsmen. Despite its location tucked away in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the hotel operated for several decades as a a summer-only destination. Guests enjoyed the well-designed golf course, wagon rides, billiards games, the indoor swimming pool, and many other amenities, all quite modern for the time.

The hotel changed hands multiple times throughout the 20th century, playing its most famous role as host to the 1944 Bretton Woods Monetary Conference. It was during this conference that the UN established the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in an effort to address the global economic consequences of World War II. As a result of the conference, the hotel benefited from a number of renovations sponsored by the U.S. government and earned its name in the history books.

In the 1990’s, several New Hampshire businessmen bought up both the hotel and surrounding tracts of land to consolidate into what is now the state’s largest ski area. Today, the hotel operates as an Omni property, is open for year-round stays, and is #3 on our list of real places that inspired Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan

Don’t let this hotel’s remote location dissuade you–the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan has served as a real-life celebration of Victorian resort style since its founding in 1887. Not unlike the other hotels on this list, it was a consortium of transportation companies that would come together to invest in a resort property. Developers marketed the Grand Hotel as a welcome summer respite for vacationers who arrived by steamship from Chicago, Detroit, Erie and Montreal and by rail from other parts of the country. Today, the resort still boasts the superlative of longest porch in the country, from which visitors can take in sweeping views of Lake Huron little changed from earlier times.

Fans of Victoriana are in good company at the Grand Hotel. The resort enjoys repeat guests, many of whom travel specifically to savor the island’s Victorian legacy. Indeed, the hotel was front-and-center in American public life in the 1890’s. Thomas Edison conducted his first public demonstration of the phonograph on the famous porch, and Mark Twain often included the Grand Hotel on his Midwest speaking circuit.

By the 1980’s, this legacy was far from forgotten, when the the hotel served as filming location for the movie, Somewhere in Time. Visitors trek to the hotel annually to celebrate the cult film, in which Christopher Reeves’ character travels back in time in search of his 1912 soulmate (played by Jane Seymour). A dashing Christopher Plummer portrays hotel manager and adversary to the couple’s romantic aspirations. What’s not to love?

The Belleview Inn, Belleair, Florida

The Belleview Inn today lives on as a reincarnation of its former self. Known originally as the Belleview-Biltmore, the hotel was constructed in Bellair, Florida in 1897, overlooking Clearwater Bay on Florida’s west coast. The hotel owed its existence to railroad tycoon Henry Plant, who, like his counterpart Henry Flagler on the east coast, was responsible for bringing the railroad and spurring development on Florida’s west coast. The Belleview was only one of several grand hotels that Plant built throughout Florida.

Over time, the hotel changed hands, experienced varying levels of upkeep, and dodged the wrecking ball repeatedly. Most recently, a team of developers led a three-year renovation which preserved part of the sprawling original structure. In 2018, the hotel opened as the Belleview Inn and includes the original lobby and surrounding 35 guest rooms. Fortunately, the developers executed a carefully-planned demolition process for the remaining building, salvaging original materials for reuse in the new building. These include the resplendent stained-glass panels that now grace the ceiling of the recreated “Tiffany Room.” Despite losing its designation on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, “the Queen of the Gulf” lives on as a tribute to the golden age of Florida travel.

The Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, Colorado

You might be thinking, what’s a Colorado-based hotel doing on a list of hotels that inspired the Grand Floridian?

Although not a seaside resort, The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver served as the model for the Grand Floridian’s atrium lobby. Eight floors of cast-iron balconies, topped by a stained glass ceiling, comprise the Denver hotel’s lobby. Sound familiar?

In operation since 1892, the Brown Palace Hotel today hosts guests as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection of hotels. Stop by next time you’re in Denver to visit #6 on our list of the real places that inspired Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Viewpoints expressed reflect the personal opinions and views of the author. They do not reflect the views of any other entity and should not be read to endorse or otherwise promote any person, business, or service.

The post The Real Places That Inspired Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort appeared first on Mapping Disney.

When I finally visited the Wilderness Lodge one trip during the Christmas season, I was struck by the beauty and serenity of this resort. Northwestern pines greet guests before they make their way to the main lobby–an expansive six stories trimmed with totem poles, wood carvings, and Native American artifacts. Every aspect of the resort’s design is rich with detail.

This detail, like all Disney properties, is what makes the resort feel “real.” For a moment, you feel transported entirely out of the Florida wetlands and into the American West. But where, exactly, are you transported?

To answer that, we go back to the early 1990s, when Disney hired architect Peter Dominick of Denver-based Urban Design Group to design the Wilderness Lodge. A successful Western architect and the son of a well-known environmentalist, Dominick brought a great passion for the Rocky Mountain West. Indeed, he possessed a special understanding of western building traditions. (Amazingly, despite the structural requirements of a 728-room hotel, he was able to remain faithful to the way a log cabin is constructed). Dominick was also influenced significantly by Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service. Mather championed the use of indigenous building materials that gave his buildings a rustic, more organic quality. Whenever possible, he sought to incorporate natural lighting and Native American influences.

With these principles in mind, Dominick set out to create a hotel reminiscent of the great National Park lodges from the early twentieth-century. These hotels were built for an elite, typically urban, tourist class. Unlike the many wood-frame coastal resorts of the same period, a number of these lodges remain standing and operational today. Fortunately, they did not fall prey to fire as did so many of their time.

The lodges listed below directly inspired Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and are open to visitors. Check them out!

Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park

A National Historic Landmark, Old Faithful Inn (1904) is the most popular place to stay inside Yellowstone National Park. Step inside the seven-story lobby and you’ll recognize the massive central fireplace and log-walled interior. (The hotel is the largest log structure in the world!). Of course, this hotel also looks out onto its namesake geyser–the real one. And like the Wilderness Lodge’s Artists’ Point, Old Faithful Inn celebrates local painters with their Inspired by Yellowstone artist series. Make sure you catch one of the nightly live music performances, every night from 6:00 – 10:00 PM.

Majestic Yosemite Hotel, Yosemite National Park

When designing the Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s architects also went to study the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel built in 1927) in Yosemite National Park. This lodge stands tall with an imposing granite facade and log-beam ceilings. Native American artwork graces the walls and rustic light fixtures dot the ceilings. The Wilderness Lodge legacy can be felt all around.

The architect team weren’t the first Disney visitors–Walt and Lillian themselves stayed here on a vacation in January 1935. This was the family’s first foray into winter sports, and they grew to love ice skating after their visit to the Yosemite Valley.

Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier National Park

Built in 1913, this lodge is nestled along the banks of Lake McDonald in Montana’s Glacier National Park. The accommodations span the main lodge, a nearby row of cabins, and a handful of separate buildings. In the lobby, hanging fixtures feature Native American motifs and majestic landscapes grace the walls. The space is undoubtedly “wilderness” with a cozy feel. However, Swiss-chalet style must also mean European-style amenities, because this hotel lacks air conditioning and elevators. Take note!

Many Glacier Hotel, Glacier National Park

You’ll find this lodge a bit further north within Glacier National Park, on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake. Together with Lake McDonald Lodge, this hotel affirms the region’s other moniker: “the Switzerland of North America.” The Great Northern Railway built this hotel in 1914-15, the brainchild of Louis W. Hill, president of the rail company, who built a number of other chalets in Glacier National Park. The 2001 book Glacier’s Historic Hotels & Chalets: View With a Room offers an interesting account of Hill’s hospitality pursuits.

A recent $42 million renovation updated the lodge inside and out. Major structural repairs corrected a significant tilt, and most major systems were modernized (electrical, fire alarm, plumbing, and accessibility). In addition, the restoration team renovated or restored decorative showpieces. These include the restoration of the dining room’s original, cathedral-type ceiling (previously a drop-ceiling), and the restoration of the lobby’s light fixtures. Sixty new golden cylinders pay homage to the original Japanese lanterns. However, the renovation did not include air conditioning or televisions.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation highlighted the restoration in its Spring 2018 issue of its Preservation Magazine. (This is a great periodical for those interested in historic hotels and preservation in general!).

Jasper Park Lodge, Canada

The light fixtures that dominate the Disney lobby take their cue from those in Jasper Park Lodge.

The massive, tepee-style Disney fixtures float above lobby. They are made from real rawhide, hand-painted with Native American symbols, and stretched across a metal framework. Look up to see silhouettes of buffaloes and Native Americans on horseback, icons inspired by the photography of Thomas Molesworth. (Many thanks to esteemed Disney historian Jim Korkis for his detailed analysis of this and many other aspects of the Disney resort). While note quite as dramatic, the fixtures at the Jasper Park Lodge also include wildlife silhouetted against a rawhide.

This Fairmont-owned hotel is situated inside Alberta’s Jasper National Park, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wrapped around the shores of the beautiful Lac Beauvert, the hotel offers 700 acres of year-round activities, including access to one of the nation’s top-rated golf courses, heated pool, and tennis courts. Guests enjoy views that are said to epitomize the “Grand Rocky Mountain Experience.”

The hotel dates back to 1915, when luxury tents dotted the lake shore, giving the area its original name “Tent City.” In 1921, the Canadian National Railways took over and converted the accommodations to log cabins. The resort opened in 1922 as Jasper Park Lodge, and the property continued to be expanded throughout the ensuing decades. Unfortunately, in 1953, a fire destroyed the original structures, but the owners rebuilt using the original blueprints.

Bright Angel Lodge, Grand Canyon National Park

The Wilderness Lodge boasts a soaring lobby dominated by a central fireplace and chimney. Disney guests love gathering around the cozy fireplace, especially during the festive holiday season.

The little-known story behind this fireplace? Its layered stonework represents the geological strata of the Grand Canyon–specifically, the canyon’s south rim. The idea was inspired by the fireplace at the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Lodge, whose smaller chimney originated from the layers of the actual might canyon’s walls.

Like the other hotels on this list, the historic Bright Angel Lodge offers a rustic lodge experience. However, this one also stands out for two other features. If you visit, make sure to check out its History Room, which showcases early 1900’s memorabilia from historic postcards to information on the Harvey Girls. After you’re done exploring here, stop by the Harvey House Cafe, a popular restaurant serving–as the name suggests–“diner classics prepared in the Fred Harvey tradition.” Biscuits and gravy are only the beginning of this menu.

El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon National Park

For the ultimate real-life Wilderness Lodge experience, look just up the hill from the Bright Angel. Perched precipitously on the canyon’s rim, lies El Tovar Hotel, the crown jewel of historic national park lodges.

This striking hotel opened to the public in 1905 as a joint project of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway and the Fred Harvey Company. Chicago architect Charles Whittlesey designed this cross between a Norwegian villa and Swiss chalet, in a style that would appeal to European sensibilities of the day. For all its European styling, El Tovar reflects a decidedly western rustic look, with its local quarried limestone and its Oregon pine walls. (Similarly, Disney brought in pine wood from Oregon and Montana to create the lodge poles.) Step inside this grand hotel and step back in time, to an era when sweeping views of the canyon and twinkling stars were the day’s entertainment.

That’s the list! Have you visited any hotels that reminded you of the Wilderness Lodge? Tell us in the comments!

Viewpoints expressed reflect the personal opinions and views of the author. They do not reflect the views of any other entity and should not be read to endorse or otherwise promote any person, business, or service.

The post 7 National Park Hotels that Inspired Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort appeared first on Mapping Disney.