Disney's America was a proposed Disney theme park in the early 1990s. A site was selected in Haymarket, Virginia, approximately from Manassas National Battlefield Park and west of Washington, D.C., accessible from Interstate 66. Disney's America would have consisted of nine distinctly themed areas spanning , and it would have featured hotels, housing, a golf course, and nearly of retail and commercial development.
The $650-million project (equivalent to $ in ) was announced on November 11, 1993. It would have been themed to the history of the United States, and it was scheduled to open in 1998. The project had initial support from various politicians and local officials, but it soon faced opposition from citizen's groups and historians who objected to Disney's planned portrayal of historical events, as well as the potential impact on nearby historic sites. It was cancelled in September 1994 following disappointing early results for Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris), the death of Frank Wells, rising costs, the prospect of reduced profits with the park being closed for four months each year, and vigorous public protest from historians and activists.
When Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, went on sale in 1997, discussions to buy the park and retheme it revived the concept. However, the Knott family refused to sell to Disney, citing concerns over Disney's plans, and the project failed to take off. Several of the proposed elements of Disney's America were incorporated into Disney's California Adventure, which opened in 2001.
History
Then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner stated the genesis for Disney's America was sparked by a visit taken by him and other Disney executives to Colonial Williamsburg three to four years before the 1993 announcement. After coming up with the concept, Disney spent two years scouting potential sites near Washington, D.C. However, officials from Explore Park, a history theme park near Roanoke that opened in 1994, alleged that Disney stole some of the ideas for Disney's America from their park after a 1987 meeting between the officials from the two companies.
Announcement and initial support At the time it was announced on November 11, 1993, Disney had already purchased or held options on the of land needed for the proposed park. After concept plans for Disney's America were drawn up for the history-based attraction in 1993, it became Eisner's pet project. Eisner obtained the support of outgoing Governor L. Douglas Wilder (D) and incoming Gov. George Allen (R), as well as the Virginia Commission on Population Growth and Development. Wilder said he was "pleased that you [Disney] have come to us," and Allen promised to "kick down any hurdles" that would hold up the park. Wilder, who had learned of the proposed park approximately two weeks before the announcement, elaborated that Disney had not forced Virginia into a bidding war through government concessions to attract the development, in contrast with the first American Legoland park, which was the subject of an ongoing competition between Prince William County and Carlsbad, California. Many local citizens, including the head of the Haymarket Historical Commission, supported the project for economic reasons. As originally proposed, Disney's America would have created 1,900 jobs and generated $50 million annually in tax revenue.
Peter Rummell, president of Disney Design & Development, stated the park was designed to be a one-day experience, and the goal was to make history "real but also make it fun." Rummell acknowledged that creating entertainment around historical events such as slavery and the Civil War could be controversial, but he elaborated that "an intelligent story, properly told, shouldn't offend anybody ... But we won't worry about being politically correct." The location was chosen to tap into the tourist crowds visiting Washington, D.C., and several local attractions, including the battlefield at Manassas, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens, Jamestown, Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Dulles-based Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum.
Although Disney did not ask for concessions at the announcement in November 1993, the company warned the purchase of land options would not proceed without improvements in roads and infrastructure. Allen proposed in State of Virginia spending, one of the costliest incentive packages offered to-date, to improve roads at the proposed Disney site, defray relocation costs, and promote tourism in the area. In addition, Prince William County had requested in loans from Virginia to improve water and sewer lines. The project was granted subsidies by the Virginia state government in March 1994, with Disney advancing the subsidy proposal on the last possible day and threatening to abandon the project if it was not passed. The Disney's America project received additional project support as late as September.
Opposition and protests
Opposition materializes
Public opposition to the theme park and associated development was stronger than Disney expected, especially from a vocal group of prominent historians named Protect Historic America. Historian David McCullough described Disney's America as a potential "commercial blitzkrieg" in May 1994, predicting the same urban sprawl that surrounds Disneyland and Disney World for Virginia. Other members of Protect Historic America included C. Vann Woodward, John Hope Franklin, James M. McPherson, Barbara J. Fields, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Shelby Foote, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., William Styron, Tom Wicker, Richard Moe and Roger Wilkins. McPherson warned that sprawl "would desecrate the ground over which men fought and died." These opponents advocated for the protection of some of land in order to prevent any large developments like Disney's America.
Disney also faced opposition from groups concerned that historical events such as the Civil War and slavery could be trivialized by teaching history through entertainment and possibly selling "little souvenir slave ships." In particular, scholars objected that Disney's past portrayals of American history deviated significantly from the truth. Eisner would later disavow comments from Weis, a senior vice president who had stated a planned exhibit on slavery would "make you feel what it was like to be a slave," saying that Weis had misspoken and was not used to speaking to the media. Rummell also rejected the fears as premature: "Those are harsh words for a production that not only hasn't opened, but hasn't even been fully written." Weis later stressed the content of the park had not yet been decided, saying "I'm not sure we have a certain direction yet ... Our thoughts are evolving" in March 1994. By August 1994, novelist William Styron penned an opinion that any exhibit that would allow visitors to "experience" slavery would be inadequate and soon afterward, Disney announced the proposed slavery exhibit had been shelved.
In addition, the heavy subsidies proposed from Virginia faced opposition in the state legislature. By late February 1994, the planned Disney park was still locally popular in Haymarket, but faced opposition from nearby towns who echoed McCullough's prediction: "following [the theme park] will be all the things people want, gas stations, motels and, God help us, the fast-food strips." A national farm conservation group, the American Farmland Trust, voiced its opposition to the project, saying it threatened up to 50% of the state's orchards and 15% of its farmland. Proponents of the theme park project alleged Protect Historic America was merely a front to advance the interests of wealthy landowners who owned land close to the planned development.
Disney projected up to 35,000 automobiles per day, which raised traffic and pollution concerns amongst local residents. The Disney official in charge of the project, Mark Pacala, penned an editorial touting planned road improvements as benefiting all motorists. Virginia Transportation Secretary Robert E. Martinez announced the state would seek a full federal review of the planned freeway improvements, which would delay the approval of road construction funds.
Other residents, citing the already-low unemployment rates, were skeptical of the economic boost generated by the park. An economic report commissioned by park opponents said that Disney had overstated economic benefits, saying that only 6,000 (not 12,000) jobs would be created, in mostly low-wage, low-skill categories, and the park would only bring in an additional $1.5–5.1 million in annual tax revenue (compared to the $14.1 million Disney had estimated). Operators of other area attractions, including Colonial Williamsburg, feared that Disney's America would siphon away tourist time and spending instead of adding another attraction for the Washington, D.C., area. Disney Vice President John Dreyer dismissed these protesters as stereotypical NIMBY citizens, saying "I think it's very similar to the arguments you've heard about a dozen projects around the country—which is, 'I'm here, I don't want anyone else to come.' " Despite the vocal opposition, polls showed a majority of Virginia residents supported the project.
Rep. Michael A. Andrews (D-TX), a Civil War buff, introduced a resolution on June 16, 1994, to send a message to Disney not to build the project in the proposed location, saying he was "not opposed to Disney or the park, as long as the project is built in another location." Andrews was joined in support by Reps. Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Robert Torricelli (D-NJ), with Torricelli adding that Civil War history should "not [be taught] by Minnie and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck." In total there were 29 cosponsors for the resolution. But even as several representatives promised to take any federal actions to prevent Disney's America from being built near Manassas, Eisner and House Speaker Tom Foley (D-WA) hosted a lunch for Congress members in support of the project.
On June 22, 1994, a Senate subcommittee hearing was held in regards to the validity of the proposed development of Disney's America. Elected officials and Disney executives testified in support of the project, while historians testified in opposition. Sens. John Warner (R-VA), Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-CO), and other officials argued that Congress had no business intervening in what was a state project. The same day, a Prince William County judge dismissed a lawsuit that had been brought by Disney's America opponents on the grounds that the proposed park violated local zoning ordinances.
Eisner's response and continued opposition
Eisner rebuked protesters and detractors, especially the historian members of Protect Historic America, saying in a June 1994 interview with The Washington Post that "I sat through many history classes where I read some of their stuff, and I didn't learn anything. It was pretty boring. I guess I can say that I object to some of their stuff." Eisner was surprised by the opposition, stating that he had "expected to be taken around on people's shoulders" for both the economic stimulus of 19,000 new jobs and the entertainment value that would allow visitors "to get high on history." In the same interview, Eisner reiterated Disney's rights to develop on the , saying "it's private land that is not in the middle of a historic area." Eisner did not rule out moving the park to other sites, noting that the governors of Maryland and North Carolina had begun to court the company.