Secrets and History of the Contemporary Resort

Disney's Contemporary Resort's retro-futuristic architectural structure shadows the inherent innovation of its design. Conceived as a prefabricated hotel, the rooms of the 14-story Contemporary Tower were originally built off-site—under the direction of the U.S. Steel Corporation, architect Welton Becket and Walt Disney—and were later hoisted and fitted into place by a crane. Check out this cool video that shows how it worked:

In the original concept for Disney's Contemporary Resort, guests were going to be able to walk directly to the resort from the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland! This is why the Contemporary is positioned so close to Tomorrowland!

The resort was originally supposed to be called "Tempo-Bay" Resort. (Thanks to Brent Dodge!)