8/12/2019 Richard Perez-Pena, “Disney Drops Plan for History Theme Park in Virginia,” New York Times (29 September 1994).

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Disney Drops Plan for History Theme Park in Virginia

By RICHARD PEREZ-PENA

Published: September 29, 99!

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The Walt Disney ompany anno!nced last night that it had a"andoned its chosen

site in #orthern Virginia for a spra$ling %merican history theme park& a pro'ect that

 $as re(iled "y historians and en(ironmentalists and hotly de"ated at local planning

 "oards as $ell as the )nited States Senate* The company said it $o!ld seek another

site for the de(elopment& possi"ly in Virginia*

Peter S* R!mmell& president of the Disney Design and De(elopment ompany& made

it clear in a statement that the company had "o$ed to a torrent of criticism& in part

o!t of a fear that opposition co!ld delay the pro'ect* +Despite o!r confidence that $e

 $o!ld e(ent!ally $in the necessary appro(als& it has "ecome clear that $e co!ld not

say $hen the park $o!ld "e a"le to open& or e(en $hen $e co!ld "reak gro!nd&+ he

said*

The company planned to "!ild the park& Disney,s %merica& . miles so!th$est of

 Washington& near the site of the /irst 0attle of 0!ll R!n& the first "ig conflict of the

i(il War& and in a region that contains many "attle sites from that $ar* The

proposed park& $hich $as to "e the centerpiece of a &111-acre& 23.1 million

de(elopment& inspired fer(ent opposition from some historians $ho said it co!ld "lot

o!t important i(il War sites and from en(ironmentalists $ho said that it $o!ld

 "ring cro$ding& road congestion and smog to an area $here all these pro"lems ha(e

m!shroomed in recent years*

In a meeting late yesterday afternoon& Disney officials told 4o(* 4eorge /* %llen and

other state officials $ho had "acked the pro'ect that they had decided against the

r!ral site at Haymarket& in Prince William o!nty* The 4o(ernor had said the pro'ect

 $o!ld pro(ide 56&111 'o"s and 278 million in ann!al re(en!e for the state* He $as

8/12/2019 Richard Perez-Pena, “Disney Drops Plan for History Theme Park in Virginia,” New York Times (29 September 1994).

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/richard-perez-pena-disney-drops-plan-for-history-theme-park-in-virginia 2/4

the dri(ing force "ehind a 253 million "ond iss!e that $o!ld ha(e paid for ne$

roads to ser(e the area s!rro!nding the park*

+I $o!ld characteri9e o!r reaction as a"sol!te shock&+ Ro"ert T* Sk!nda& the state

Secretary of ommerce and Trade& said last night* He noted that '!st in the last $eek&the pro'ect had cleared t$o important h!rdles& $inning the appro(al of the Prince

 William o!nty Planning ommission and the regional Transportation Planning

0oard*

Mr* Sk!nda said Disney officials still hoped to find another site in #orthern Virginia&

 $ithin reach of the millions of to!rists $ho (isit the nation,s capital each year* 0!t

the process of finding another location and once again negotiating the thickets of

p!"lic opinion and go(ernmental appro(al co!ld delay the park& $hich $as to open

in 566:& "y years*

In his statement& Mr* R!mmell said& +In o!r mind& Virginia $o!ld still "e an ideal

place for this park*+

;ames M* McPherson& a Princeton )ni(ersity historian $ho $as a leader of the

efforts to "lock the pro'ect& said Disney "egan to reconsider its choice of location

a"o!t a $eek ago "!t held off making an anno!ncement*

+We do feel good a"o!t it&+ said Mr* McPherson& president of Protect Historic

 %merica& a gro!p of historians& scholars and a!thors opposed to the de(elopment*

+Disney recogni9ed $hat it $as costing them in terms of image& p!"lic relations and

the potential for a long& dra$n-o!t contro(ersy and la$s!its from en(ironmental

gro!ps* They decided to respond to all the criticism and $hat $e ha(e emphasi9ed all

along& location*+

<pponents said it $as not the pro'ect itself they opposed& "!t the location* +The

proposed site $o!ld ha(e $orsen traffic and air =!ality&+ said /red >r!pp& the

e?ec!ti(e director of the #ational En(ironmental Defense /!nd& $hich led a coalition

of 1 gro!ps that opposed the pro'ect* +In a different location closer to p!"lic

transportation& this de(elopment can strengthen the economy and impro(e air

=!ality*+

Despite polls sho$ing that the proposed park had the s!pport of a ma'ority of

 Virginians& it attracted a $ide range of opponents* In ;!ne& 53 representati(es

8/12/2019 Richard Perez-Pena, “Disney Drops Plan for History Theme Park in Virginia,” New York Times (29 September 1994).

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/richard-perez-pena-disney-drops-plan-for-history-theme-park-in-virginia 3/4

introd!ced a resol!tion in the Ho!se opposing the pro'ect& and the Senate,s p!"lic

lands s!"committee held hearings on the s!"'ect*

<pposition also came from the Interior Department& $here some officials o"'ected to

the conse=!ences s!ch an am"itio!s pro'ect co!ld ha(e on near"y national parklands*

@ast $eek& Sierra l!" officials said they might go to co!rt to stop& or at least delay&

the pro'ect*

Some historians and $riters =!estioned Disney,s a"ility to address the darker iss!es

of %merican history in a realistic or sensiti(e fashion* +I ha(e do!"ts $hether the

technical $i9ardry that so entrances children and gro$n-!ps at other Disney parks

can do anything "!t mock a theme as momento!s as sla(ery&+ the no(elist William

Styron $rote in an <p Ed page article last month in The #e$ Aork Times* +To

present e(en the most s=!alid sights $o!ld "e to cheaply romantici9e s!ffering*+

Disney mo!nted a h!ge p!"lic relations campaign to try to o(ercome the opposition&

 "!t to no a(ail*

The o!tcome had a "itter taste for s!pporters of the pro'ect* +It,s "een a campaign of

misinformation "y $ell-financed o!t-of-state interests& and it $orked&+ Mr* Sk!nda

said* +#o company $ants to ha(e its rep!tation dragged thro!gh the m!d& and that,s

 $hat happened here*+

The park $as to incl!de a ride thro!gh a "last f!rnaceB (irt!al reality Re(ol!tionary

 War "attles& in $hich (isitors $o!ld ha(e had a chance to fire m!skets& and nightly

recreations of the i(il War "attle "et$een the Monitor and the Merrimack& the first

d!el "et$een ironclad ships*

In addition to the %merican heritage theme park& Disney had re=!ested appro(al to

 "!ild as many as C&C:5 homes& 5&71 hotel rooms and 5*63 million s=!are feet of

retail and commercial space*

Map sho$s proposed site of Disney theme park*

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8/12/2019 Richard Perez-Pena, “Disney Drops Plan for History Theme Park in Virginia,” New York Times (29 September 1994).

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