Discovering the World of Have a Magical Day

As a modern themed resort at Walt Disney World, the Contemporary Resort certainly has a long, rich history. Even after over 50 years have passed since its opening, the resort is still iconic and a must-stay option for all ages. 

Opened on October 1, 1971, along with its neighbor Disney’s Polynesian Resort, the Contemporary is a stunning, futuristic hotel that evokes a Tomorrowland-like feel (based off Tomorrowland from the Magic Kingdom) and features a monorail station in its fourth floor concourse of its high-rise, 14-story building, a couple of garden wings, a DVC (Disney Vacation Club) tower that opened in 2009, and a 90,000 square foot convention center used for meetings and other special events. The oldest resort at the Walt Disney World Resort besides its South Pacific themed neighbor, the Contemporary has an eventful lifespan that stretches back as far as anyone could remember.

The Contemporary started its construction in late 1970, around a year before its completion and grand opening. Designed by Xerox Tower architect Welton Becket on a collaboration with the United States Steel Corporation and the Walt Disney Company (including Disney Imagineering), the main building, the Contemporary Tower, was created in an A-frame format, while the nine-ton guest rooms (and suites), designed by Californian architect Donald Wexler, were built off-site and trucked to the Contemporary Tower, where the rooms were slid into place by crane like dresser drawers. The rest of the Contemporary Tower was built via modular construction, while the North and South Garden Wings were constructed in the same manner. Construction was completed in late September 1971, in time for Walt Disney World’s opening on October 1, 1971. 

The Contemporary Resort’s official birthday was celebrated on October 25, 1971, one day after the Polynesian Resort’s own birthdate. Since its opening, the resort has undergone several refurbishments and additions to its property. The first refurbishment for the Contemporary occurred throughout 1989, to transform the rooms and overall feel of the resort into a sleek, more improved look compared to what it was in its first eighteen years. A convention center was built and opened on November 11, 1991, during Veterans Day, and another refurbishment took place in 2005 until it was completed in early 2006, changing all rooms, suites and public areas to their true, modernized selves. Although the rooms were finished by that time, the resort continued its extensive renovation until mid-2009. Notably, the North Garden Wing, which did not receive any refurbishments or soft rehabs, closed in early January 2007 (a construction zone was established in November 2006) while the nearby Racquet Club was demolished until it was completely gone by January 30 of that year.

The North Garden Wing faced its own unfortunate demise after 36 years of operation, being demolished throughout February and March 2007, until it was fully torn down by April 6, 2007. Construction ensued on a new DVC building through 2007 and 2008, and on September 16, 2008, the new DVC tower was unveiled, known as Bay Lake Tower, which opened on August 4, 2009. Although the new DVC hotel itself was praised, its architecture and overall design was criticized for its large size, inferiority to the North Garden Wing, and overshadowing of the iconic Contemporary Tower. Nevertheless, Bay Lake shares the same modern theme as the rest of the resort itself, and it is considered an addition to the Contemporary Resort that does not tarnish the resort’s legacy. 

Disney’s Contemporary Resort remained intact until April 2021, when it was announced that all guest rooms and suites in the Contemporary Tower and South Garden Wing would be refurbished into an Incredibles themed redesign along with “futuristic monorail motifs”, which tarnished the legacy of the Contemporary Resort once the refurbished rooms were finished. Not only that, but Bay Lake Tower has suffered the same fate since its temporary closure in mid-September 2024, which would also feature the bland redesign of its guest rooms once the refurbishment concludes in September 2025. Despite these changes, Disney’s Contemporary Resort remains an iconic Disney vacation hotel, and its past and legacy will never be forgotten.