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PROTECT HISTORIC AMERICA: DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER KEN BURNS JOINS DISNEY PROTEST
WASHINGTON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Ken Burns, the producer and director
of "The Civil War," the most popular television documentary series ever
aired by the Public Broadcasting Service, today called on the Walt Disney
Company (NYSE: DIS) to reconsider its plans to locate a theme park and
associated real estate ventures in Virginia's historic Northern Piedmont,
Protect Historic America announced.
Burns' concerns were expressed as he joined more than 40 of the country's
leading historians as a member of the National Advisory Board of Protect
Historic America (PHA), a recently formed organization opposed to siting
the proposed Disney real estate development near the historic town of
Haymarket.
In a statement explaining his reasons for joining the PHA effort, Burns
said, "Because I am afraid that the Disney company's proposed theme park
in the middle of the fragile historical environment of the Piedmont will
in fact distract people from an appreciation of the events that took place
in the last century, I must come out in opposition to Disney's America.
"This park is simply not needed here. It is in the wrong place ... and
it will damage the beauty and character of the area.
"This project has the possibility of ... physically destroying, through
subsequent development, the exquisite landscape where the ghosts of our
collective past still have the power to mesmerize us with the palpable
fact of our sad history."
"I have no objections to the Disney Company's desire to do popular
history," Burns noted. "I am in the same business and, in fact, am
working with Disney on another unrelated history project." (A copy of
Burns' complete text follows below.)
Protect Historic America believes the Disney proposal threatens the
integrity of one of the nation's most historically significant regions,
stretching from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Manassas Battlefield, from
Harper's Ferry to Jefferson's Monticello.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has identified 13 historic
towns, 16 Civil War battlefields and 17 historic districts in that region.
All are located within 50 miles of Disney's planned real estate venture.
Joining Burns in protesting Disney's plans were his two co-writers of
"The Civil War" documentary, Geoffrey C. Ward and Ric Burns, both of whom
also have become members of PHA's National Advisory Board.
Ward, the principal author of the book, "The Civil War," on which the PBS
series was based, is a former editor of "America Heritage" magazine, a
writer of documentary films and the author of other books, one of which
won the Francis Parkman Prize. About the Disney project, he said, "This
country has too little evidence of its authentic history left to let any
corporation threaten another inch of it without a fight. If the Disney
people were genuinely interested in the past, they would take their
amusement park elsewhere, to some region where less important history
happened."
Ric Burns, co-producer of the PBS series, said: "Sometimes the bustling,
relentlessly present tense of commerce dispels our sense of the past,
which sometimes needs quiet tranquility, reflection and space to take
hold. In America, this is especially true of our Civil War battle sites,
where memory and feeling are so intimately tied to the fragile beauty of
the simple countrysides where they took place."
Ken Burns founded his own documentary film company, Florentine Films, in
1975. In the ensuing two decades, he has produced and directed numerous
award-winning films, including "Huey Long," "Brooklyn Bridge," "The Statue
of Liberty" and "Thomas Hart Benton."
In becoming members of Protect Historic America's National Advisory
Board, Ken and Ric Burns and Ward join other prominent historians who
worked with them on the award-winning PBS production of "The Civil War":
narrator and senior creative consultant David McCullough, commentator
Shelby Foote and consultants James McPherson and Barbara Fields.
Statement of Ken Burns
May 19, 1994
"Five years ago, when I was filming in Virginia for my series on the
Civil War, I found myself standing in front of a shopping center called
the Spotsylvania Mall. One hundred and twenty-five years before that
moment, Americans had murdered one another on that ground in a maul of a
different kind, in what many believe was the most relentless exchange of
life in the history of warfare up to that time. Some men were hit by so
many bullets that their bodies fell apart. A Union veteran remembered
Spotsylvania as simply 'the most terrible day I have every lived.'
"But the busy preoccupation of the shoppers that morning gave no
indication that they were aware of the events that had taken place there
on a similarly glorious May day in 1864. I will never forget the emotions
that realization sponsored in me: the chilling irony, the sickening dread
that forgetfulness always engenders, and the powerful sense that the
meaning of our freedom as Americans is the freedom of memory, which is
also an obligation not to forget.
"Because I am afraid that the Disney Company's proposed theme park in the
middle of the fragile historical environment of the Piedmont will in fact
distract people from an appreciation of the events that took place there
in the last century, I must come out in opposition to Disney's America.
"This is more than a case of carrying coals to Newcastle, by which I
mean, the area doesn't need any more history superimposed on it,
especially of the intoxicatingly distilled kind Disney is proposing. This
project has the possibility of not only sanitizing and making `enjoyable'
a hugely tragic moment of our past, but of physically destroying, through
subsequent development, the exquisite landscape where the ghosts of our
collective past still have the power to mesmerize us with the palpable
fact of our often sad history.
"Let me stress that I have no objections to the Disney Company's desire
to do popular history. I am in the same business and, in fact, am working
with Disney on another unrelated history project. Indeed, many in my
generation have been drawn to history in part through the films of Walt
Disney. Further, I am distressed by the high level of rhetoric this
conflict has promoted. Critics of the theme park have ascribed the worst
and at the same time the most ridiculous personal motives to Disney in
searching for points of disagreement, something I find unnecessary.
"This park is simply not needed here. It is in the wrong place. It will
distract visitors from the real places of history and it will damage the
beauty and character of the area. (It is distressing to note that Gov.
Allen, in announcing his package of $163 million in incentives, failed to
note that he was proposing to cut the budget for historical restoration in
the nearby parks he is so confident will not be affected by Disney's
America. How utterly hypocritical.) I always think that if I were in a
position to advise the Disney Company -- which has traditionally guarded
its image carefully -- I would strongly advise them to abandon this
project because of the long-term damage Disney's America will ultimately
do to their pristine image of the corporation. For all these reasons and
more, I am taking this stand against the theme park and look forward to
working with Protect Historic America to stop the needless mauling of
Northern Virginia -- again."
Headline: HOME VIDEO: DISNEY LOOKS TO `JAFAR' FOR INSTANT PROFITS
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Disney to Move Proposed Park To Another Site
BURBANK, Calif. -- Responding to passionate opposition from a
multitude of intellectuals and Virginia residents, Walt Disney Co. said it
would relocate its planned theme park "Disney's America" to a "less
controversial" site in Virginia.
Disney said it hasn't decided on a new location and hasn't
acquired any other real estate on which to build a park.
Although the historically themed attraction had cleared several
regulatory hurdles and might have made it through the approval
process unscathed, Disney Chairman Michael Eisner apparently decided the
public outcry was too deafening. The company said it didn't agree with
"all" the concerns of opponents, but it wanted to "move the process
forward."
The park had stimulated a host of editorials and other testimonials from
some of the most prominent historians and social critics in the
country, villifying Disney for its alleged insensitivity to the park's
proximity to the Manassas battlefield and other historically charged sites.
Disney also said it named Disney Channel President John F.
Cooke to the additional post of chairman of Disney's America. The longtime
Disney executive is a close friend of Vice President Al Gore. Some of
Disney's stiffest opposition to the park had come from Congress. Dana
Nottingham, a key Disney front man on the project who had been director of
development, was named president.
"The controversy over building in Prince William County has
diverted attention and resources from the creative development of the
park," said Peter S. Rummell, president of Disney's design and development
unit.
Even beyond Disney's regulatory challenges, Mr. Rummell's
"Imagineering" theme-park design division faces immense challenges in conceiving
a park that can be both patriotic and politically correct, as well as
both educational and entertaining. Some critics had pounced on a
comment by a Disney designer who said the park would make guests "experience"
slavery. Disney later renounced the remark.
The former president and general manager of Disney's America,
Mark Pacala, is leaving Disney to become president and chief executive
officer of the Forum Group Inc., a company specializing in elder-care
services and retirement communities.
The uproar surrounding Disney's America came as a surprise to
Mr. Eisner, who saw the park as a way to make American history come alive for
the millions of young people who visit Washington every year. The
park was envisioned as a one-day trip for visitors to the nation's
capital, a respite from the sometimes-staid monuments of the city.
But vociferous enemies seemed to take their stand everywhere.
The mostardent opposition came from Civil War buffs and those who
said a commercial enterprise would tarnish nearby historical sites.
The bad publicity has been disturbing, and Disney recently has
had a spate of publicity over the bitter departure of its studio chief,
Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Disney said it hadn't found a new site, although a location to
the south of Washington on the way to Richmond -- near Williamsburg and
other attractions -- seemed like a likely prospect. Disney usually
prefers to acquire land secretly so landowners in the area don't jack up
their prices.
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Headline: DISNEY DROPS PLAN FOR HISTORY THEME PARK IN VIRGINIA
By RICHARD PEREZ-PENA
c.1994 N.Y. Times News Service
The Walt Disney Co . announced on Wednesday night that it had abandoned
its chosen site in northern Virginia for a sprawling American history
theme park, a project that was reviled by historians and environmentalists
and hotly debated at local planning boards as well as the U.S. Senate. The
company said it would seek another site for the development, possibly in
Virginia.
Peter S. Rummell, president of the Disney Design and Development Co.,
made it clear in a statement that the company had bowed to a torrent of
criticism, in part out of a fear that opposition could delay the project.
``Despite our confidence that we would eventually win the necessary
approvals, it has become clear that we could not say when the park would
be able to open, or even when we could break ground,'' he said.
The company planned to build the park, Disney's America, 35 miles
southwest of Washington, near the site of the First Battle of Bull Run,
the first big conflict of the Civil War, and in a region that contains
many battle sites from that war. The proposed park, which was to be the
centerpiece of a 3,000-acre, $650 million development, inspired fervent
opposition from some historians who said it could blot out important Civil
War sites and from environmentalists who said that it would bring
crowding, road congestion and smog to an area where all these problems
have mushroomed in recent years.
In a meeting late Wednesday afternoon, Disney officials told Gov. George
F. Allen and other state officials who had backed the project that they
had decided against the rural site at Haymarket, in Prince William County.
The governor had said the project would provide 19,000 jobs and $47
million in annual revenue for the state. He was the driving force behind a
$163 million bond issue that would have paid for new roads to serve the
area surrounding the park.
``I would characterize our reaction as absolute shock,'' Robert T.
Skunda, the state secretary of commerce and trade, said on Wednesday
night. He noted that just in the last week, the project had cleared two
important hurdles, winning the approval of the Prince William County
Planning Commission and the regional Transportation Planning Board.
Skunda said Disney officials still hoped to find another site in
northern Virginia, within reach of the millions of tourists who visit the
nation's capital each year. But the process of finding another location
and once again negotiating the thickets of public opinion and governmental
approval could delay the park, which was to open in 1998, by years.
In his statement, Rummell said, ``In our mind, Virginia would still be
an ideal place for this park.''
James M. McPherson, a Princeton University historian who was a leader of
the efforts to block the project, said Disney began to reconsider its
choice of location about a week ago but held off making an announcement.
``We do feel good about it,'' said McPherson, president of Protect
Historic America, a group of historians, scholars and authors opposed to
the development. ``Disney recognized what it was costing them in terms of
image, public relations and the potential for a long, drawn-out
controversy and lawsuits from environmental groups. They decided to
respond to all the criticism and what we have emphasized all along,
location.''
Opponents said it was not the project itself they opposed, but the
location. ``The proposed site would have worsen traffic and air quality,''
said Fred Krupp, the executive director of the National Environmental
Defense Fund, which led a coalition of 30 groups that opposed the project.
``In a different location closer to public transportation, this
development can strengthen the economy and improve air quality.''
Despite polls showing that the proposed park had the support of a
majority of Virginians, it attracted a wide range of opponents. In June,
16 representatives introduced a resolution in the House opposing the
project, and the Senate's public lands subcommittee held hearings on the
subject.
Opposition also came from the Interior Department, where some officials
objected to the consequences such an ambitious project could have on
nearby national park lands.
Last week, Sierra Club officials said they might go to court to stop, or
at least delay, the project.
Some historians and writers questioned Disney's ability to address the
darker issues of American history in a realistic or sensitive fashion. ``I
have doubts whether the technical wizardry that so entrances children and
grown-ups at other Disney parks can do anything but mock a theme as
momentous as slavery,'' the novelist William Styron wrote in an Op Ed page
article last month in The New York Times. ``To present even the most
squalid sights would be to cheaply romanticize suffering.''
Disney mounted a huge public relations campaign to try to overcome the
opposition, but to no avail.
02:35 EDT SEPTEMBER 29, 1994
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DISNEY TO SEEK NEW SITE FOR PROPOSED THEME PARK;
NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM TO HEAD PROJECT
BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:
DIS) said today that it will seek a new site for its Disney's America
theme park.
The announcement was made by Peter S. Rummell, president of Disney Design
and Development Company, who at the same time named John F. Cooke,
president of The Disney Channel, to the additional role of chairman of
Disney's America and Dana Nottingham president.
"We remain convinced that a park that celebrates America and an
exploration of our heritage is a great idea, and we will continue to work
to make it a reality. However, we recognize that there are those who have
been concerned about the possible impact of our park on historic sites in
this unique area, and we have always tried to be sensitive to the issue,"
Rummell said. "While we do not agree with all their concerns, we are
seeking a new location so that we can move the process forward."
Rummell said that Cooke will oversee the entire Disney's America
operation, working with Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Development
Company as they continue to develop park plans. Nottingham, who was
director of development of Disney's America, will report to Cooke and be
responsible for the day-to-day operations of the project.
"John is the ideal Disney executive for this new role. His proven
executive skills and his ability to bring forces together to create
consensus make him an obvious choice to lead Disney's America."
Rummell said the company will begin immediately to seek a less
controversial site "where we can concentrate on our creative vision. We
believe this is the best way to ensure the success of the project and to
speed its opening.
"Despite our confidence that we would eventually win the necessary
approvals, it has become clear that we could not say when the park would
be able to open--or even when we could break ground," Rummell added.
"The controversy over building in Prince William County has diverted
attention and resources from the creative development of the park,"
Rummell said. "Implicit in our vision for the park is the hope that it
will be a source of pride and unity for all Americans. We certainly
cannot let a particular site undermine that goal by becoming a source of
divisiveness.
"This was a difficult decision, especially considering the enthusiastic
support the park has received from the citizens of Prince William County,
as well as the county and state officials." Rummell offered special thanks
to Virginia Gov. George Allen and Prince William County Board of
Supervisors Chair Kathleen Seefeldt for their extraordinary efforts in
support of this project. We would like to extend special gratitude to
Gov. Allen for his leadership and his support.
"In our mind, Virginia would still be an ideal place for this park and we
are eager to work with Gov. Allen in our search for a new location,"
Rummell said.
Rummell said the appointment of Cooke is confirmation of Disney's
determination to move forward on Disney's America.
"John's successful leadership of The Disney Channel has proven him to be
one of Disney's most effective executives. Year in and year out, he has
brought the highest quality of programming to Disney Channel viewers,"
Rummell said.
"John's ability to combine informative programming and entertainment on
The Disney Channel is a talent that will enrich Disney's America. He
brings another dimension to an already outstanding team."
Also promoted to the new Disney's America management team is Cory J.
O'Connor, who was named executive vice president for community relations.
O'Connor will continue to serve as senior vice president of The Disney
Channel.
Cooke currently serves on the U.S. Advisory Council on the National
Information Infrastructure, for which he is co-chairman of the Mega-
Project on Privacy, Security and Intellectual Property. He is a trustee of
The Johns Hopkins University, serves on the Advisory Council of The Johns
Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations. He is also chairman of the UCLA Center for
Communication Policy.
Additionally, he is on the board of directors of the Constitutional
Rights Foundation and the Center for Civic Education.
Mark Pacala, who served as president and general manager of Disney's
America, is leaving Disney to become president and chief executive officer
of the Forum Group Inc., a company specializing in elder care services and
retirement communities in cities across the country.
Rummell lauded Pacala for his efforts, and noted that his new position is
"a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Mark. We wish him well."
/CONTACT: John Dreyer of The Walt Disney Co., 818-560-5400/
23:30 EDT
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Headline: Disney to Move Proposed Park In Virginia To Another Site
By Richard Turner
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
BURBANK, Calif. -- Responding to passionate opposition from a multitude
of intellectuals and Virginia residents, Walt Disney Co. said it would
relocate its planned theme park "Disney's America" to a "less
controversial" site in Virginia.
Disney said it hasn't decided on a new location and hasn't acquired any
other real estate on which to build a park.
Although the historically themed attraction had cleared several
regulatory hurdles and might have made it through the approval process
unscathed, Disney Chairman Michael Eisner apparently decided the public
outcry was too deafening. The company said it didn't agree with "all" the
concerns of opponents, but it wanted to "move the process forward."
The park had stimulated a host of editorials and other testimonials from
some of the most prominent historians and social critics in the country,
villifying Disney for its alleged insensitivity to the park's proximity to
the Manassas battlefield and other historically charged sites.
Disney also said it named Disney Channel President John F. Cooke to the
additional post of chairman of Disney's America. The longtime Disney
executive is a close friend of Vice President Al Gore. Some of Disney's
stiffest opposition to the park had come from Congress. Dana Nottingham, a
key Disney front man on the project who had been director of development,
was named president.
"The controversy over building in Prince William County has diverted
attention and resources from the creative development of the park," said
Peter S. Rummell, president of Disney's design and development unit.
Even beyond Disney's regulatory challenges, Mr. Rummell's "Imagineering"
theme-park design division faces immense challenges in conceiving a park
that can be both patriotic and politically correct, as well as both
educational and entertaining. Some critics had pounced on a comment by a
Disney designer who said the park would make guests "experience" slavery.
Disney later renounced the remark.
The former president and general manager of Disney's America, Mark
Pacala, is leaving Disney to become president and chief executive officer
of the Forum Group Inc., a company specializing in elder-care services and
retirement communities.
The uproar surrounding Disney's America came as a surprise to Mr. Eisner,
who saw the park as a way to make American history come alive for the
millions of young people who visit Washington every year. The park was
envisioned as a one-day trip for visitors to the nation's capital, a
respite from the sometimes-staid monuments of the city.
But vociferous enemies seemed to take their stand everywhere. The most
ardent opposition came from Civil War buffs and those who said a
commercial enterprise would tarnish nearby historical sites.
The bad publicity has been disturbing, and Disney recently has had a
spate of publicity over the bitter departure of its studio chief, Jeffrey
Katzenberg.
Disney said it hadn't found a new site, although a location to the south
of Washington on the way to Richmond -- near Williamsburg and other
attractions -- seemed like a likely prospect. Disney usually prefers to
acquire land secretly so landowners in the area don't jack up their
prices.
(END) DOW JONES NEWS 09-29-94
6 15 AM
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Headline: TOWN `DEVASTATED' BY LOSS OF DISNEY PROJECT
By MICHAEL JANOFSKY
c.1994 N.Y. Times News Service
HAYMARKET, Va. - When Mayor Jack R. Kapp reached City Hall this morning,
he found the flag at half-staff for the first time since Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis died. He knew many residents of his town were angered and
disappointed that the Walt Disney Co. had scrapped plans to build a theme
park five miles away. But lowering the flag, he decided, was an
inappropriate response. So he raised it.
Two hours later, he found it down again.
``People around here are devastated,'' Kapp said shortly after a
post-mortem lunch Thursday with Disney officials. ``It's an economic blow
to Prince William County. I feel like I've been to a funeral today.''
While environmentalists, Civil War historians and citizen groups opposed
to the $650 million theme park celebrated Disney's decision to seek
another site, many other Virginians bemoaned the economic losses for the
region and the potential losses to the state if Disney were to build the
park elsewhere.
Before the company selected the site near Haymarket, a town of 500
people about 35 miles west of Washington, the company had considered more
than two dozen other sites in the region.
Within hours of Disney's decision, announced late Wednesday night,
business and civic leaders in Maryland, including Gov. William Donald
Schaefer, were expressing excitement over the possibility of competing
with Virginia for the project, even though Disney officials indicated
Thursday that the site would remain in Virginia.
A 3,000-acre theme park, Disney's America, was to be the centerpiece of
an extensive project that would have included a hotel, schools, golf
courses, office buildings, shops, restaurants and 2,281 residential units.
Historians and environmentalists fought the project, saying it would
desecrate nearby Civil War battle sites like Bull Run and increase
congestion and air pollution.
In a statement issued after Disney's decision to withdraw, Gov. George
Allen of Virginia said he remained committed to a Disney theme park in the
state, adding, ``I'm pleased the Walt Disney Co. shares that
commitment.''
But now, the shape and size - let alone, the site - of any subsequent
Disney park are uncertain.
Robert T. Skunda, the Virginia secretary of commerce and trade, said the
incentive package was ``site specific'' to the development near
Haymarket.
Speaking by telephone from Richmond, Va., Skunda said that it was now
his understanding that Disney planned to build only a theme park on a new
site. Any new incentives, he added, ``are now subject to negotiation and
debate.''
Christopher Miller of the Piedmont Environmental Council, which led the
fight against the Disney project, said his group had identified 30
possible sites for a theme park in Virginia, Maryland and Washington
itself that he said were more suitable than the Haymarket area.
By some estimates, Prince William County expected to gain as many as
19,000 jobs. Kathleen Seefeldt, a member of the county Board of
Supervisors and a strong supporter of the Disney project, said the county
had expected $11 million to $12 million in new revenue the first year of
operation, 1998, and more each year after that.
With projections that the development would pump $47 million a year into
the state's economy by 2007, Governor Allen became a strong supporter of
the Disney project and last year pushed a $160 million incentive package
through the state General Assembly as an enticement to bring Disney to
Virginia. Just last week, Disney vaulted two obstacles, when the Prince
William County planning commission, with little debate, approved zoning
changes to accommodate the project, and a regional transportation planning
board authorized $130 million for road projects to improve access to the
site.
With its bedroom communities to Washington, Prince William County has
been growing rapidly for years, reaching a current population of about
240,000, up from 150,000 in 1980. Some county officials insisted that
other developers would fill the vacuum created by Disney.
But others worried that the staunch opposition mounted against the
Disney project here would deter prospective investors.
``I think this will cause people to look at us a little more
carefully,'' said James H. Mullen, the Prince William County Executive.
``With the opposition Disney faced able to claim success, thwarting the
efforts of a major company like Disney, other developers will be skittish
about moving ahead with their plans and proposals for the same area.''
Ms. Seefeldt, the leading supporter of the project on the county Board
of Supervisors, predicted that ``ultimately the right project or projects
would create less opposition.'' But that was a hard sell to Kapp and
others in Haymarket Thursday.
Sitting in the quiet office of ``Welcome Disney,'' an 8,000-member
citizens' group organized to blunt the opposition, Ron Hancock, the
group's treasurer, pondered a question he never imagined before Wednesday
night.
``What does this mean to the town?'' he asked. ``Whew. A lot of lost
revenues and new business. People here are so disappointed, considering we
were so close to having Disney's America a reality. Then, for this to
happen.''
Kapp, who won a second-consecutive two-year term this year after his
appointment to office in 1990, said he was especially disappointed because
the town will not get a water line Disney promised to provide. Most people
in town use well water, he said, and many of the wells are old and
rusting.
``A number of people are drinking contaminated water,'' he said. ``Now,
I don't know how we can help them.''
00:13 EDT SEPTEMBER 30, 1994
**************************************
Headline: DISNEY COMPANY PLEDGES TO FIND NEW THEME PARK SITE IN VIRGINIA
By SALLIE HOFMEISTER
c.1994 N.Y. Times News Service
LOS ANGELES - After stunning state and local politicians on Wednesday
with its decision to abandon plans for a $650-million theme park on
historic land in rural Virginia, the Walt Disney Co. on Thursday pledged
to search for another site in the state and to work closely with the
opposition.
``We are now in the site location business,'' said John F. Cooke,
president of the Disney Channel, who was named on Wednesday to the
additional role of chairman of Disney's America, the name of the theme
park. ``We are starting afresh and are reaching out to historians who have
opposed us to make sure our portrayal of the American experience is
responsible.''
Cooke said the company had decided to change the site from Haymarket, in
Prince William County, in the last several days, because of
environmentalists' lawsuits and other obstacles that could have delayed
the opening well beyond the scheduled date in 1998.
Despite Disney's commitment to proceed, some Wall Street analysts on
Thursday questioned the merits of the company's building a third theme
park in this country when attendance at its other parks is declining. One
analyst said that Disney, in addition to worrying about its public image
and the cost of a lengthy court battle, may have acted this week because
its option on the 3,000-acre site expires next week. ``They had to renew
their option or buy the land,'' said the analyst who refused to be named.
Cooke said he was unaware of any option.
Some opponents to the project expressed doubt about whether Disney would
be able to find another site in Virginia as attractive as the 3,000 acres
it had optioned in Haymarket, 35 miles southwest of Washington. There, in
addition to the theme park, the company had planned to build as many as
2,281 homes, 1,340 hotel rooms and 1.96 million square feet of retail and
commercial space.
``Four-fifths of this development was real estate,'' said Robert
Elliott, a lawyer representing Protect Prince William County, a group of
residents that had opposed the Disney park in their county. ``We were
never convinced that Disney was interested in building just a theme park.
The real estate was where the money was. But most sites near enough to
Washington to be attractive to Disney are not likely to be this big. This
may be just a graceful way for Disney to back out entirely.''
Disney said it would not have put a new team in place to oversee the
project unless it was fully committed to going forward. On Wednesday, in
addition to giving Cooke new responsibilities, the company named, as
president of Disney's America, Dana Nottingham, who had been its director
of development.
Mark Pacala, who served as president and general manager of Disney's
America, is leaving Disney to become president and chief executive of the
Forum Group Inc., which specializes in elder care services and retirement
communities. Though Pacala did not return a phone call, Cooke said his
departure was unrelated to the decision to forgo the Haymarket site.
Disney's announcement last November of its plans to build a theme park
in Prince William County unleashed a firestorm of opposition from local
residents, historians and Washington politicians. The Piedmont
Environmental Council, a coalition of 70 organizations and 5,000 families
from the northern Virginia area, was among the first to sue Disney,
alleging that the project would bring crowding, road congestion and smog
to the area.
Historians, including David McCullough and James McPherson, a history
professor at Princeton, waged a campaign against the project through
Protect Historic America. They argued that the project, which was to
include virtual-reality battles and a Lewis and Clark raft ride, would not
only destroy important Civil War sites but would trivialize and sanitize
American history. Haymarket is about six miles from Manassas National
Battlefield Park, where the First and Second Battles of Bull Run were
fought.
Historians even convinced Sen. Dale Bumpers, an Arkansas Democrat and
Civil War buff, to conduct hearings in June to determine whether Congress
should take any responsibility for preserving lands of historic national
significance.
Disney had won the backing of county and state officials, making
Thursday's decision a particularly harsh blow to Gov. George Allen, who
had pushed a $163 million package of incentives to improve roads through
the legislature. The project was expected to create 19,000 jobs and
generate $47 million in revenues for the state.
Despite local and state support, Disney faced increasing opposition from
federal authorities, people involved in the case say. The Interior
Department was likely to have objected to widening highways that were key
to the project. And there were also federal air and water quality issues.
One analyst estimated that Disney would take a $15 million to $20
million charge against earnings in the fourth quarter of this year, ending
in September, to account for the costs incurred in developing Haymarket.
00:27 EDT SEPTEMBER 30, 1994
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Headline: EDITORIAL: DISNEY RETREATS AT BULL RUN
c.1994 N.Y. Times News Service
The New York Times said in an editorial on Friday, Sept. 30:
Historians, writers and ordinary citizens won a victory for the national
heritage on Wednesday. Walt Disney Co. abandoned the most irresponsible
idea ever hatched in the Magic Kingdom and decided not to build a theme
park near the Manassas Battlefield in Prince William County, Va.
More than the fate of the battlefields of Manassas, or Bull Run, was
involved. ``Disney's America'' would have flooded one of America's most
historic and scenic regions, including the nearby Shenandoah National
Park, with traffic and tacky development.
In response to the threat to these national treasures, a large,
articulate coalition defeated one of the country's richest corporations
and its boosters in Virginia's Statehouse and Legislature.
Walt Disney Co. had recently won two important battles. The county's
planning board had agreed to the necessary rezoning for the project, and
the regional transportation panel had approved $130 million in road
improvements.
But the company concluded that the outrage generated by the proposed
project would mar Disney's image. It was a wise decision, but a tardy one,
given the scale and stature of the opposition.
There may have been other factors. Power struggles at the top of the
company have dented its confidence. EuroDisney, its Paris project, has
been a huge miscalculation. The last thing Disney needed was a bruising
and protracted public relations battle against the nation's most respected
writers and thinkers on the Civil War.
Disney did not expect such a struggle. Gov. George Allen was on their
side and a mindlessly generous Legislature was willing to pay millions in
development expenses. What they did not reckon with was the passionate
nationwide outcry that carried a clear message. The Manassas countryside
is not Virginia's to sell. It belongs to the nation.
Congress now needs to pass legislation designating a new kind of
preservation area - the National Historic Region - that would enable it to
control development in areas that are precious to the nation.
Along with proving the power of organized, articulate opposition to a
bad idea, the intellectuals, environmentalists, preservationists and
ordinary citizens who fought the project proved something else.
Michael Eisner, Disney's chairman, argued that Americans were ignorant
about their history and needed Disney-style fun to teach them. As the
historian David McCullough has pointed out, this episode has shown that
Americans do know their history and care about ground made sacred by what
occurred there.
00:30 EDT SEPTEMBER 30, 1994
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Headline: Corporate Focus: Disney Hopes Retreat Is Better Part
of Public Relations --- Relocating Planned Virginia Park Is
Meant in Part to Restore Warm Image ---- By Richard Turner
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
BURBANK, Calif. -- Walt Disney Co.'s decision to take cover from the line
of fire in Virginia and seek a new site for its "Disney's America" theme
park partly reflects an attempt to improve its battered public image, say
people close to the company.
From the woes of Euro Disney to acrimony among its top executives during
the past few weeks, the company which so treasures its soft-and-fuzzy
image has been portrayed recently as mean, arrogant and insensitive.
"This looked like it was going to drag on and on, and it just wasn't
worth the abuse," said one Disney official. "It wasn't fun anymore."
As a business decision for a $22 billion company, the $650 million it
would have taken to build "Disney's America" was relatively small
potatoes, and executives say the decision wasn't driven by financial
concerns. But as outside opposition to the park mounted since plans were
announced last November, many Disney executives opposed pressing forward.
Disney finally decided it wasn't worth taking the heat, particularly when
several lawsuits from local groups and other opponents threatened to
further delay the project. "It was the uncertainty of the timing," said an
official.
Moreover, the creative challenges of rendering American history in a
Disney setting were enormous, and remain so as Disney searches for a new
location.
Disney executives say the company hasn't yet acquired land for a new
site; Disney would prefer it be in Virginia, but it could be in the
District of Columbia or Maryland, say officials. Disney secretly bought
the original 3,000-acre site near Haymarket, Va., before announcing its
plans. The secrecy only fueled the firestorm that followed.
Even though land may be more expensive this time around, Disney
executives reasoned, this will be outweighed by the company's ability to
test the waters, building a local constituency of support before going
ahead. This new approach also may help repair the perception that Disney
moved into Virginia under cover of darkness without consulting its new
neighbors.
"We want to build consensus," said the park's new chairman, John F.
Cooke, noting that local residents and historians will be actively
encouraged to participate in the park's planning.
The decision to pull the plug was Disney Chairman Michael Eisner's. From
the beginning, the theme park was his personal vision. He cobbled it
together after visits to Russia, the holocaust museums in Washington D.C.,
and Los Angeles, and Jamestown, Va., setting of Disney's upcoming animated
film, "Pocahontas." For months, when a chorus of disapproval from
historians and editorialists enveloped Disney with charges that it was
polluting hallowed historical ground, Mr. Eisner -- who doesn't like to be
pushed around -- merely dug his heels in deeper.
But in meetings with design executives and company directors over the
past few days, Mr. Eisner and his staff changed their tack. More delays in
the project loomed. Also, the project's chief, Mark Pacala, had decided to
leave Disney to run an elder-care and retirement-community company.
The relentless criticism of the project was coming at a time when the
company could ill-afford another exposed flank. After five years in the
late 1980s of enormous growth and adoring notices, the once-glowing Disney
story was dimming.
The stock has been sluggish for nearly two years, and an improving U.S.
economy has done little to jump-start theme park attendance. The financial
debacle of Euro Disney, which had to be rescued by bankers and Disney, was
exacerbated by the perception that Disney acted arrogantly when it landed
in France.
Then, in recent weeks, Disney studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg left the
company after 10 years, amid reports of a bitter parting with longtime
mentor Mr. Eisner. Much of the publicity surrounding the turmoil seemed to
favor Mr. Katzenberg, with Mr. Eisner portrayed as unwilling to share
power and Disney as limping along without its entertainment leader, who
got much of the credit for reviving the animated film division with
blockbusters like "The Lion King."
Mr. Eisner has said he wants to "reinvent" Disney's corporate culture,
and more major personnel changes are said to be in the works. Mr.
Katzenberg's departure followed Mr. Eisner's quadruple heart-bypass
surgery a month before. President and Chief Operating Officer Frank Wells
died in a helicopter crash last spring, and a successor hasn't been named.
Disney looked closely at acquiring General Electric Co.'s NBC television
network for about $5 billion recently, and Mr. Eisner has hinted of other
dramatic deals brewing.
For a company that needs to project an image of benign friendliness, the
bad press swirling around Disney's America was hurtful. Some in Virginia
complained about traffic and a proliferation of ticky-tack souvenir stands
and surrounding sprawl -- perhaps an unfair charge, given that this was a
matter for local zoning officials. The thunder from intellectuals centered
on the historical richness of the surrounding area, which they felt
shouldn't be defiled by a commercial enterprise.
Some found it arrogant that Disney was apparently attempting to reproduce
American history, rather than using history as an informal departure point
for an entertainment experience. That Disney would try to tell a story
which included slavery, Indian massacres and social strife infuriated many
who questioned how the custodian of Mickey Mouse could pull off an
accurate rendering of U.S. history.
One of 60-odd groups opposing the park, the Black History Action
Coalition, demanded that the Civil War and slavery be excluded from the
park altogether -- and threatened a boycott of the park if such sensitive
topics weren't left out. Mr. Eisner called this "censorship."
Executives say the company's Walt Disney Imagineering division -- where
designers dream up theme-park attractions -- has been demoralized lately
amid layoffs and delays or cancellations of various projects. Disney
walked away from plans to build a $2 billion marine-themed park,
DisneySea, in Long Beach, Calif. Its plans for a major expansion of
Disneyland called Westcot have been delayed and may not go forward.
Disney has been secretive about Imagineering's plans for Virginia,
particularly since one executive made a remark about how the park might
give visitors the experience of slavery. "We're not going to put people in
chains," Mr. Eisner hastened to say later.
Mr. Eisner pointed to two attractions at Disney World -- "American
Adventure" and the "Hall of Presidents" as evidence of Disney's ability to
cope with American history. The former features words from Chief Joseph,
Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. The latter, updated with a
voice-over by Maya Angelou, is popular, but not universally admired. "Long
on patriotism and short on humor," pronounces a generally worshipful
guidebook published by a Disney unit.
---
Walt Disney by the Numbers
The Fundamentals
1993 1992
REVENUE (billions) $8.53 $7.50
NET INCOME (millions) $299.8 $816.7
EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.55 $1.52
MAIN BUSINESS:
Operates amusement parks and resorts; produces filmed entertainment,
including animated motion pictures and television programs; real estate
development and brokerage; educational computer software products;
publishes books, magazines and comics; owns and operates "Disney" stores.
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Headline: REVIEW & OUTLOOK (Editorial) -- Asides: Sherman Rides Again
So another great American icon falls, as Walt Disney Co. concedes defeat,
abandoning its proposed site for a historical theme park in Prince William
County, Virginia. While winning in the legal process, Disney Chairman
Michael Eisner decided he couldn't cope with the irrational sentiments
opposing him. He will now look for another Virginia site where no Civil
War soldier ever trod. We particularly enjoyed the argument that Mr.
Eisner and Disney would traduce history. There was even something called
Protect Historic America, with Stephen Ambrose, John Kenneth Galbraith,
William Manchester and so on. We only hope these worthies will rise to
protect us again the next time Oliver Stone undertakes to instruct us on
the likes of the Kennedy assassination.
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