If you have not heard the news yet, the current owners of Walt Disney’s early Los Angeles home want to have it demolished. When Walt moved to Los Angeles in 1923 with quite literally nothing, his uncle allowed him to rent a space in the home. The small bungalow’s garage, that has since been relocated, is where all of the magic actually started. Additionally, Disney’s brother Roy was also married in this house in 1925.
The current owners of the home want to demolish the small two-bedroom home and build a two-story home of their own. They submitted plans to the city of Los Angeles for approval on Friday, July 22. To most, it may seem completely acceptable to want to start your own home, creating it to be exactly what you want. However, to millions of Disney fans around the world, this property means much more than a simple beginning for an animator from the Midwest.
Working for The Walt Disney Company, you are taught a lot about the beginning of the massively successful company which we know today. Many people do not realize how many setbacks Walt experienced before he finally caught a big break in Hollywood. The Disney name, while iconic around the globe, has a very different meaning depending on who you ask. To me, Disney is home —promising and comforting. When I think about Walt Disney’s struggles and eventual success, it reminds me to keep moving forward. Like Disney said; “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
The history of Disney lives far beyond just those who choose to read about it. I truly believe that Walt’s legacy of magic and fairy tales lives within each and every person who wants to be part of it. I am strongly against the demolition of the home as I love absolutely anything and everything Disney-related. Many of Walt’s original concepts were brought to life in the small studio he created himself on that property. To destroy it would be to ignore the fact that an entire legacy began in that humble home.
While you cannot visit the home in Los Angeles, you can visit Walt’s childhood home in Marceline, Missouri. Thousands of Disney fans flock to the old home to get a glimpse into the past, finding Walt’s inspiration for Main Street USA, the iconic entrance of Disney theme parks. The Walt Disney Hometown Museum contains several personal artifacts including letters between Disney family members, original footage of Walt and his brother Roy, and even special Mickey Mouse dolls.
If you are heartbroken about this devastating news much like myself, you will be happy to learn that the couple trying to demolish the house has been greeted with a great amount of resistance by locals, Disney fans and even Los Angeles officials. The principal planner for Los Angeles has been able to place a 75-day hold on the request to demolish the home. He is now using this time to find options in order to preserve the cultural landmark. If successful, the home will be named Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.
