field excursions
A large part of Themerica has consisted of first-hand field research of major sites of thematic design around the world. Since I am a California native, I’ve had the opportunity to examine diverse examples of theming in retail, entertainment and dining environments without traveling very far. Listed here are the major thematic destinations I visited throughout the course of my project research, from the summer of 2007 to the summer of 2008.
DISNEYLAND RESORT – Anaheim, California. While theming existed in various forms before this seminal park opened in 1955, Disneyland is where the design language was perfected and codified. The park is also prototypical; a master lens with which to view the Disney thematic formula as it has been modified and adapted to meet the needs of different cultures and geographies around the world.
August 27–30, 2007
January 3, 2007
July 15–16, 18–20, 2008
August 1, 27–30, 2008
KNOTT’S BERRY FARM – Buena Park, California. Knott’s bills itself as “America’s first theme park”—indeed the original Wild West themed Ghost Town area of the park dates back to 1940.
August 31, 2007
WALT DISNEY WORLD – Orlando, Florida. Walt Disney World (WDW) is in many ways the successful blending of thematic design with the principles of urban planning (espoused by Walt Disney himself with his utopian EPCOT project). There are more theme parks and thematic venues on this 43 square-mile site (roughly the size of San Francisco) than anywhere else on the planet. As such, it’s something of the global capitol for thematic design. There are four major parks here:
- THE MAGIC KINGDOM – 1971 (a second-generation design of Disneyland, v2)
- EPCOT – 1982 (a combination of a World’s Fair take on modernism and a permanent cultural exposition featuring the architecture, food and shopping of eleven countries)
- DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS – 1989 (a celebration of Hollywood’s Golden Age and the art of movie making and animation)
- DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM – 1998 (a unique amalgam of theme park, zoo, and wildlife preserve)
October 17–24, 2007
LAS VEGAS STRIP – Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas is such a fascinating architectural study, I had to go twice—once before visiting Dubai, and once after. The week I spent after was much more in-depth, my observations after having seen Dubai much richer. Las Vegas has been home to thematic design since the 1940s, yet in the 1990s a “Disneyization” building-boom brought the number of themed venues to all-new heights.
December 27–30, 2007
July 7–12, 2008
DISNEYLAND PARIS RESORT – Marne-la-Vallée, France. Initially considered a financial failure, this Disney resort is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The Disneyland Park (1992) is v4 of the Magic Kingdom formula, and adjacent to it is the Walt Disney Studios (2002). The resort includes five major hotels, each with a different American regional theme, and a shopping / dining district with multiple themed restaurants, Disney Village.
March 16–22, 2008
DUBAI - United Arab Emirates. Dubai is one of the future trajectories of thematic design, and I timed my week-long stay in order to attend the region’s leading theme park and leisure trade conference.
April 17–24, 2008
ATLANTIC CITY CASINOS – Atlantic City, New Jersey. Like Las Vegas, this East Coast gambling mecca uses thematic design to draw patrons into casinos and differentiate one (seemingly identical) environment from the next.
May 27, 2008
TIMES SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT – New York, New York. I had a chance to visit New York City for personal reasons, and thus was able to see Times Square, specifically the Hershey Store. This is a center of brandscapes in the United States today—yet another future trajectory for thematic design.
May 27, 2008
TOKYO DISNEYLAND RESORT – Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo Disneyland (1983) is v3 of the Magic Kingdom formula, using the best parts of both Florida and Orlando, and is uniquely adapted to the cultural landscape of Japan. Tokyo DisneySea opened up next door in 2001. The resort also includes numerous hotels and a shopping / dining district, Ikspiari.
June 3–8, 2008
HONG KONG DISNEYLAND RESORT – Hong Kong, China. This is Disney’s newest resort, (2005) and is v5 of the Magic Kingdom formula. There are also two major themed hotels attached to the property. Hong Kong Disneyland was meticulously designed to adhere to traditional Chinese practices, and its replication of Sleeping Beauty Castle and Main Street U.S.A. from the Anaheim original takes simulacrae to a whole new level.
June 8–12, 2008
VENETIAN MACAU – Macau, China. Just as Hong Kong Disneyland represents the “copy of the copy,” so to does this recently opened (2007) sister resort to the original Venetian in Las Vegas (1999). The Cotai Strip of Macau is currently the gambling capitol of the world, in terms of revenue, and development is proceeding at a mad pace—with many more themed hotel resorts are on the way.
June 10, 2008
MACAU FISHERMAN’S WHARF – Macau, China. This free-admission shopping / dining district on the water’s edge in Macau was the most horrendous example of thematic design that I saw in my travels. Multiple themes tossed together, with no thought given to narrative cohesion or transition zones.
June 10, 2008
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD – Universal City, California. This studio backlot tour has been a staple of the Southern California amusement scene since the Silent Era. Unfortunately, it’s developed into a full-blown theme park destination so slowly and piecemeal over the years, that today Universal Studios is a jarring jumble of half-hearted attempts and incomplete or unconvincing designs.
July 17, 2008
UNIVERSAL CITYWALK – Universal City, California. A major project by Jon Jerde, Citywalk is emblematic of the future of thematic design. This shopping / dining district adjacent to Universal Studios is a postmodern pop-collage; an example of referential—versus representational—design. Forms are alluded to, but nothing is re-created or simulated directly.
July 17, 2008
THE GROVE – Los Angeles, California. The Grove, and its newer sister, The Americana, both represent theming as lifestyle. No longer the object of short-term amusement and entertainment, thematic environments are coming to replace traditional architectural programs. People are now to living, working and (yes) shopping in spaces that very consciously re-create lost modes of planning, past decades of prosperity, and a nostalgia for simpler times.
July 18, 2008
THE AMERICANA AT BRAND – Glendale, California. The Americana takes the design approach of The Grove even further—here is the full-scale assault on traditional public spaces, here is the blurring between public and private property, here is the privatization of the commons. Americana is designed to look like a public area, such as the downtowns and town squares of old, but it’s really just—like The Grove—an outdoor “decorated mall.”
July 18, 2008
THE TAM O’SHANTER INN – Los Feliz, California. The Tam is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the Los Angeles area in the same location run by the same family owne. But that’s not what makes it an essential part of theming’s long history; in addition to being Walt Disney’s favorite restaurant, it was designed by Harry Oliver, famed movie studio art director (and untrained as an architect) in the Storybook Style for which he became reknowned.
July 18, 2008