Disney's Contemporary Resort

File:Monorails Blue and Coral parked in the Contemporary Resort for Hurricane Ian.jpg trains parked inside the Contemporary during Hurricane Ian, 2022]]

The Contemporary Resort is one of two resorts located on property when Walt Disney World opened in 1971.{{cite news |title=Walt Disney World unveils plans for 50th anniversary celebration |url=https://www.clickorlando.com/theme-parks/2021/02/19/walt-disney-world-shares-plans-for-50th-anniversary/#// |access-date=14 March 2021 |agency=clickorlando.com/}}

The Contemporary Tower, the most prominent of the resort's three stand-alone buildings, was built as an A-frame with outer walls which slope inwards around an inner atrium. This design was a collaboration by Disney, the United States Steel Corporation,{{cite web|url=http://www.disneydrawingboard.com/WDW/MKArea/Contemporary%20Resort/ContemporaryResort.html |title=Disney's Contemporary Resort |publisher=The Disney Drawing Board |access-date=April 6, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIF6mc9SQA0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/fIF6mc9SQA0| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Construction of WDW Contemporary Resort by U.S. Steel |publisher=YouTube |date=January 31, 2007 |access-date=April 6, 2015}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5hkPnmHw9g |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/F5hkPnmHw9g| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=The Contemporary Resort Hotel 1971 (U.S. Steel Commercial) |publisher=YouTube |date=December 27, 2008 |access-date=April 6, 2015}}{{cbignore}} and Xerox Tower architect Welton Becket. To construct the building, steel frames were erected on-site and modular pre-constructed rooms, designed by California architect Donald Wexler, were lifted into place by crane. The original buildings at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, the Court of Flags Resort and one residential property at Bay Hill (using the first four units off the assembly lines) were all built the same way, except these rooms were stacked instead of slid in.

In 2006, Disney filed plans for a project on the site of the Contemporary Resort's North Garden Wing.{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfloridacountry.com/contemporarydvcpermits.pdf |format=PDF |title=Reedy Creek Improvement District |publisher=Bigfloridacountry.com |access-date=May 5, 2015}} Bay Lake Tower ultimately contained 281 timeshare units. In preparation for the future sale, Disney incorporated a condominium association for the property on January 9, 2007, that would manage the units.{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-contemporary2608feb26,0,6462018.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229031537/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-contemporary2608feb26%2C0%2C6462018.story |title=Walt Disney Co. to sell time shares in 15-story tower next to Contemporary Resort |archive-date=February 29, 2008 |url-status=dead }} The project was officially unveiled on September 16, 2008.{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/orl-disney1608sep16,0,1966015.story |title=Disney's time-share kingdom grows |first=Jason |last=Garcia |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=September 16, 2008 |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919004412/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/orl-disney1608sep16%2C0%2C1966015.story |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=dead }} Timeshares began on September 28, 2008, to existing Disney Vacation Club members and on October 5, 2008, for new members.

In 2005, Disney began an extensive renovation of the Contemporary Resort, and it was completed in 2009. As part of the construction, the North Garden Wing of the hotel was demolished to make way for a separate Disney Vacation Club resort that opened in 2009. At the same time, the Bay Lake Tower began construction. Disney's Racquet Club was demolished by January 30, 2007,{{cite web|title=Construction where the old tennis courts used to be... rumored to be the new DVC resort |url=http://photos.joelandkristine.com/Walt_Disney_World/Resorts/Disney's_Contemporary_Resort/2007.01.28.13.47.33.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928094646/http://photos.joelandkristine.com/Walt_Disney_World/Resorts/Disney%27s_Contemporary_Resort/2007.01.28.13.47.33.htm |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }} while the North Wing itself was demolished between January 31 and April 6, 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts_contemporarydvc.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322195251/http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts_contemporarydvc.htm|archive-date=March 22, 2007|title=Contemporary Resort Disney Vacation Club Tower|publisher=wdwmagic.com}} Construction on the new building continued through 2007, without Disney announcing what was actually being built. The Bay Lake Tower opened in 2009.

{{further|Impeachment process against Richard Nixon}}

On November 17, 1973, the Contemporary was the site of what would become one of the most famous press conference statements in modern American politics, where President Richard Nixon declared, "I am not a crook."{{cite web| last=Rath| first=Arun| author-link=Arun Rath| title='I Am Not A Crook': How A Phrase Got A Life Of Its Own| date=November 17, 2013| url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=245830047| work=All Things Considered| publisher=NPR| access-date=December 19, 2019}}{{cite news|last1=Pope|first1=Rich|title=Nixon, Watergate and Walt Disney World? There is a connection|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-nixon-watergate-and-walt-disney-world-20161028-story.html|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|date=October 31, 2016}} Nixon, whose job approval rating had been declining steadily for over a year due to the on-going Watergate scandal, made the statement during an appearance at the Associated Press Managing Editors Association annual convention, at which he held a live one-hour televised press conference.{{Cite news| title=President Nixon: 'I am not a crook'| last=Rishe| first=Eugene| date=November 18, 1973| publisher=UPI| url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1973/11/18/President-Nixon-I-am-not-a-crook/9181542425918/| access-date=November 7, 2019}}{{cite news|last1=Kilpatrick|first1=Carroll|title=Nixon Tells Editors, 'I'm Not a Crook|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/articles/111873-1.htm|work=Washington Post|date=November 18, 1973}} Following an earlier question on Nixon's taxes, Nixon addressed claims that he profited from his public service, stating "I've earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice ... People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got."{{cite web |title=Question-and-Answer Session at the Annual Convention of the Associated Press Managing Editors Association, Orlando, Florida {{!}} The American Presidency Project |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/question-and-answer-session-the-annual-convention-the-associated-press-managing-editors |website=www.presidency.ucsb.edu |quote=I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life, I have never obstructed justice. And I think, too, that I could say that in my years of public life, that I welcome this kind of examination, because people have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I am not a crook. I have earned everything I have got.}}{{cite web|title=Nixon Declares He Didn't Profit From Public Life|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1117.html|website=New York Times|first=R.W.|last=Apple, Jr.|date=November 17, 1973|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010907045420/https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1117.html|archive-date=September 7, 2001}} Less than one year later, facing almost certain impeachment and removal from office, Nixon announced his resignation in a national speech on August 8, 1974, which became effective the following day.{{cite news

| newspaper = The Washington Post

| title = Nixon Resigns

| series = The Watergate Story

| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/watergate/part3.html

| access-date = 7 May 2023}}

File:Contemporary A Frame.jpg

The Contemporary Tower houses most of the resort's key facilities, including resort registration and the guest service concierge. The main hall, named the Grand Canyon Concourse, is located in main tower and houses restaurants and shops. 383 guest rooms line the outer walls of the Contemporary Tower. The Walt Disney World Monorail System runs through the inside of this building and a monorail station is located here for resort guests. Adorning the concourse walls is a multi-story mosaic designed by Mary Blair. One three-story wing flanks the south side of the tower and houses an additional 250 rooms. A convention center was added to the resort and opened on November 11, 1991, with more than {{convert|90000|sqft|m2}} of convention space. In October 2007, the resort received designation as part of the Florida Green Lodging Program.{{cite web|url=https://floridadep.gov/osi/green-lodging/documents/florida-green-lodging-designated-property-directory|title=Florida Green Lodging Designated Property Directory|publisher= Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection|date=March 5, 2018|access-date=March 19, 2018}}

In June 2021, Disney Parks Blog announced the rooms had undergone a redesign blending monorail motifs with Incredibles characters.{{cite web|url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/06/first-look-inside-a-reimagined-guest-room-at-disneys-contemporary-resort/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624140214/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/06/first-look-inside-a-reimagined-guest-room-at-disneys-contemporary-resort/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 24, 2021|title=First Look Inside a Reimagined Guest Room at Disney’s Contemporary Resort|publisher=Disney Parks Blog|date=June 24, 2021|access-date=August 17, 2021}}

File:Contemporary Lobby w Steakhouse 71.jpgThere are several restaurants in the Contemporary Resort's main building. The California Grill is a full-service dining restaurant located at the top (15th floor) of the Contemporary Resort's tower, formerly the Top of the World restaurant.{{cite web|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-09-06/entertainment/os-disney-california-grill-reopens-20130906_1_california-grill-walt-disney-world-new-menu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907183814/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-09-06/entertainment/os-disney-california-grill-reopens-20130906_1_california-grill-walt-disney-world-new-menu|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 7, 2013|title=Disney's iconic California Grill reopens Monday|author=Heather McPherson|work=orlandosentinel.com|publisher=Tribune Newspapers|date=September 6, 2013|access-date=September 6, 2013}} A second full-service restaurant, Steakhouse 71, is located on the first floor of the main tower in a space formerly occupied by The Wave ... of American Flavors and, before that, the Fiesta Fun Center arcade. Its theming and name are both inspired by the resort's opening year, 1971.{{cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2021/10/new-disney-world-dining-space-220-la-creperie-de-paris-and-steakhouse-71.html|title=New Disney World dining: Space 220, La Creperie de Paris and Steakhouse 71|work=cleveland.com|publisher=Advance Local Media LLC|date=23 October 2021|accessdate=2 November 2021}} Two restaurants, a character buffet (Chef Mickey's) and a quick-service facility (Contempo Café), are located on the Grand Canyon Concourse in the main tower's atrium, with coffee bars and lounges located throughout the resort complex.

{{Main|Bay Lake Tower}}

File:BayLakeTower.JPG

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, part of the Disney Vacation Club, is a 15-story addition that officially opened on August 4, 2009. It is located on the former location of the demolished North Garden Wing rooms. The tower shares design features with the original resort. The front desk, concierge, valet, bell services and transportation are shared services provided through the main resort. Bay Lake Tower has a concierge desk and an online check-in desk of their own for guests who wish to check into Bay Lake Tower directly. Its fifth floor is connected by a skyway from the main tower's fourth floor.{{cite web | url=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/02/disney-to-open-contemporary-addition-on-aug-4.html | title=Disney to open Contemporary addition on August 4 | first=Jason |last=Garcia | publisher=Orlando Sentinel | date=February 3, 2009 | access-date=February 9, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210090306/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/02/disney-to-open-contemporary-addition-on-aug-4.html | archive-date=February 10, 2009 | df=mdy-all }}

The units were among the most expensive offered by Disney Vacation Club at initial offering, presumably because of their proximity to the Magic Kingdom. Some of the resort's features include full-length windows with views into the Magic Kingdom or onto Bay Lake. Some bathrooms on the Magic Kingdom side include movable partitions to permit watching the park's fireworks displays from the bathtub.

{{main|List of incidents at Walt Disney World }}

• On November 12, 1992, an off-duty Cast Member fell off the ledge outside the Top of The World restaurant on the 15th floor of the Contemporary. The cast member had been sitting on the ledge when a swarm of wasps appeared; while trying to swat the wasps away, the cast member lost his balance and fell to his death 11 stories below.{{cite news |last1=Villarreal |first1=Luz |title=Disney Employee Falls To Death At Hotel |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1992/11/13/disney-employee-falls-to-death-at-hotel/ |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=November 13, 1992 |language=en}}
• On March 22, 2016, a person died at Disney's Contemporary Resort. According to multiple sources, the person jumped to their death inside the central A-frame tower.{{cite web|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/2917074/police-investigating-death-at-disneys-contemporary-resort-person-suspected-of-jumping-to-death/ |first=Danny |last=Cox |title=Police Investigating Death At Disney’s Contemporary Resort — Person Suspected Of Jumping To Death |work=The Inquisitr News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323184241/http://www.inquisitr.com/2917074/police-investigating-death-at-disneys-contemporary-resort-person-suspected-of-jumping-to-death/ |archive-date=March 23, 2016 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2016/3/22/deputies_investigati.html?a |title=Deputies investigating death at Disney World resort |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323184123/http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2016/3/22/deputies_investigati.html?a |archive-date=March 23, 2016 |access-date=July 22, 2018 }}
• On May 28, 2018, an intoxicated man was arrested at Disney's Contemporary Resort after he falsely told other guests an active shooter was in the resort. Panic soon followed and the resort was placed on lockdown until police could arrive. The reports were traced back to the man, who was found hiding in bushes outside of the resort. When questioned, the man claimed that his motive was to get reactions from people for a class and his YouTube channel.{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=David |title=YouTube stunt at Disney resort lands Arizona man in jail |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-youtube-dillion-burch-stunt-20180529-story.html |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=May 30, 2018}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official Website}}

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{{WDW Resorts}}

{{Walt Disney World}}

{{Richard Nixon}}

Contemporary Resort

Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1971

Category:Convention centers in Florida

Category:Hotels established in 1971

Category:Modernist architecture in Florida

Category:A-frame houses and buildings

Category:Welton Becket buildings

Contemporary Resort

Category:Hotel buildings completed in 2009

Category:Hotels established in 2009

Category:1971 establishments in Florida