Gulf Hospitality House and The Walt Disney Story
Gulf Oil sponsored the Gulf Hospitality House (and The Walt Disney Story) from 1971 to 1980. To the left is the Town Square Café, which was sponsored by Oscar Mayer until 1981, when Hormel jumped in. The open-air dining of the Town Square Café was enclosed in 1989 when it was converted to Tony’s Town Square Café.
From the Magic Kingdom Encyclopedia:
Sponsored by Gulf Oil from 1971-1979, this building opposite City Hall was later destined to become the Town Square Theater. In its early years, however, it served first as a backup Guest Relations area, and was outfitted to look like a hotel lobby, though a dreamed-of hotel behind it never materialized. Instead, it became host to the Walt Disney Story in 1973, which used photographs and spoken quotes from Walt himself to relate his biography in dual theaters with plush seats (as well as memorabilia and scale models from Disney projects, and a widely-recognized mural of 150+ Disney characters). In 1990, the Hospitality House was converted to Disneyana Collectibles, then the Town Square Exhibition Hall in 1998, and then the Town Square Theater in 2011.
We get an interesting description for Steve Birnbaum, which would be the same for each year of the Birnbaum’s Guides:
In the waiting area outside the screening room, there are a number of exhibits dealing with Walt Disney, his honors, and his life: letters from Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, U Thant, Winston Churchill, Dag Hammarskjold, and Leopold Stokowski; posters from old Disney movies, photos of the Mouseketeers (and a real Mousketeer hat), Zorro’s cape, and-among the other medals and honors-the Oscar presented for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the familiar tall golden figure with seven miniature versions arranged alongside. Note the photo of Walt Disney with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy against the wall to your right as you pass through the turnstiles.
In this map, you can see the Gulf Hospitality Center as #33 on the right (East) side of Town Square. It is listed as Hospitality House (Gulf).
The EPCOT Preview Center
From the 1982 Birnbaum’s Guide to Walt Disney World:
EPCOT PREVIEW: Housed in the yellow building on the east side of Town Square, in the film theater that once hosted The Walt Disney Story, this presentation gives visitors to the 98-acre Magic Kingdom a taste of what they’ll see on October 1, 1982, on the 600 acres of the new EPCOT Center, which is presently being built on a site just a few miles south of the Magic Kingdom. The EPCOT Center-the acronym stands for Experimental Prototype Community of To-morrow-will have two major sections: World Show-case, which will show off the best of the culture of nations from all over the globe; and Future World, which will highlight technology of the future. At the Preview, a film shows models and describes the features of each area.
You could also purchase the Commemorative EPCOT Center Tickets:
Special three-day souvenir tickets are currently being sold to commemorate the opening of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982. These tickets will be good for three days admission to EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom, and cost $30 (adult), $24 (juniors), and $18 (children). They will be on sale to August 1, 1982.
Disney-MGM Studios Preview Center
On the map, The Walt Disney Story is in building #2 and the Hospitality House is #31.
From the 1989 Birnbaum’s Guide to Walt Disney World:
Housed in the yellow building on the east side of Town Square, this area will serve as the special preview center for the new film and TV production studios until they open to the public-currently scheduled for May, 1989. After the studios are open and fully operational, The Walt Disney Story will return to this space. This film tells the story of the boy from Marceline, Missouri, who built a Kingdom around a mouse. Walt himself narrates part of the presentation, which includes some rare film foot-age. Well worth your while.
Based on the various maps from the 1987-1989 time period, the Disney-MGM Studios Preview completely took over the space for The Walt Disney Story and the film didn’t return until after the Studios officially opened.
Do You Remember the Gulf Hospitality House?
The Gulf Hospitality House is one of those early Magic Kingdom gems that quietly evolved while still holding onto a fascinating piece of Disney history. Whether you remember it as a cozy hotel-style lobby, the home of The Walt Disney Story, or even the EPCOT and Disney-MGM Studios preview center, it’s a spot with a lot of stories to tell. Did you ever step inside the Hospitality House during your visits in the ’70s or ’80s? I’d love to hear your memories—or what you’ve learned about this tucked-away piece of Town Square magic.