The St. Louis Disneyland That Never Was
Did you know that St. Louis almost had its own Disney theme park?
How did the idea for a St. Louis Disneyland come to be? And why didn’t it pan out?
This piece of forgotten St. Louis history resurfaced in 2015, when thirteen pages of the original blueprints for Walt Disney’s Riverfront Square theme park appeared at an auction house in California. The daughter of a former Disney employee found a trove of Disney history in her garage while sorting through her father’s belongings.
The blueprints were expected to sell for between $2,000 and $5,000. The winning bidder, a private collector, paid $27,000.
St. Louis in the 1950s
In the 1950s, St. Louis experienced an economic boom. With federal and local grant funds available, city authorities began planning to create a greater metropolis. Focusing mainly on the old riverfront, the Civic Center Redevelopment Corporation pursued various projects to enhance the city.
The riverfront had been in decay for decades, and most of it had been demolished. The goal was to revitalize the district by clearing blocks of historic houses and buildings to make way for progress—projects like the Gateway Arch and the new Busch Memorial Stadium.
Another proposal was for a major shopping and dining district just north of the stadium. The square would celebrate St. Louis’ history and culture while giving people a place to relax, shop, and dine downtown.
The Globe-Democrat wrote: “Reviving the sparkle of the steamboat era, Downtown Square would feature sightseeing delights and facilities to eat at, drink, and be merry in a wide economic range.”
One city block would include shops, restaurants, an arcade, and theaters, along with nods to St. Louis’ gilded age. A French-themed restaurant would be called Lafayette. A music and dance hall named The Maple Leaf would honor Scott Joplin and ragtime music. A bar called The Last Chance Saloon would display historic items from fur trappers and explorers. The pièce de résistance: The Gilded Cage Cinema.
Plans for the cinema ranged from showing silent films in a traditional theater to hosting a Circle-Vision movie on the history of St. Louis inside a riverboat-shaped structure.
Enter Walt Disney
Mayor Raymond Tucker contacted Walt Disney about creating that film. At the time, Disney had already produced two Circle-Vision films about America and one about Italy, and he was perhaps the most famous Missourian to call upon.
Tucker envisioned an attraction that would draw people to St. Louis and celebrate the city’s upcoming bicentennial.
In March 1963, city officials flew to Burbank, California, to meet with Walt Disney. During the two-hour meeting, they discussed the Riverfront Square concept. Disney wanted to improve the idea of an outdoor mall, offering design advice and promising to get back to the city.
His suggestions included enclosing the entire structure to handle St. Louis’ “fantastic” weather, and possibly adding a people-moving system from the Jefferson Memorial to the square—something like the Disneyland monorail.
Disney assigned his economic team to prepare a cost analysis for an indoor mall in the Midwest featuring a Disney attraction.
Disney Visits St. Louis
In May 1963, Walt and his wife visited St. Louis. Along with city officials, they toured the riverfront district, Arch grounds, Busch Stadium, and The Muny. Disney appeared enthusiastic, but didn’t commit.
By June, however, he gave his Imagineers the green light to develop preliminary ideas for a St. Louis theme park based on the city’s history.
The first cost analysis proved unconvincing for Disney’s Board of Directors. Disney requested a new report focused on an indoor theme park instead of a shopping mall.
Even without official plans, contracts were being drafted. And that’s when the trouble began.
Beer, Busch, and Business
The proposed park—Walt Disney’s Riverfront Square—would not serve alcohol. Company lawyers said Disney’s name could not be used to sell alcohol. This was a major problem for August Busch, who reportedly called Walt Disney “crazy” for thinking any business in St. Louis could succeed without beer.
Anheuser-Busch was a major employer and a symbol of the city. Busch himself had plans for a neighboring Anheuser-Busch Museum with historic displays, Clydesdale horses, brewing demonstrations, and, of course, beer sales.
The Civic Center Redevelopment Corporation also insisted that any approved project must include the sale of wine, beer, and liquor.
Local Opposition
Some citizens petitioned Disney, arguing his park would degrade local history by turning it into a profit center. Disney responded:
“Missouri and its history are important to me. There’s a lot of opportunities to do things exciting about the state—the Mississippi River, Mark Twain—things both entertaining and educational. I am not interested in a tourist trap. I want something we in St. Louis can be proud of.”
The Grand Presentation
On March 16, 1964, Disney finally presented his proposal at the Bel Air Motel in St. Louis. The park would be entirely indoors, with climate control for year-round comfort.
Highlights of the plan:
Main Street USA-style entrance leading to:
New Orleans section (Blue Bayou Adventure boat ride through Louisiana wetlands)
St. Louis at the Turn of the Century (shops, restaurants, local history theater)
Basement level: Lewis & Clark Adventure ride, river pirate show, St. Louis Today Circle-Vision film.
Mezzanine floor: Meramec Caverns roller coaster, Haunted Mansion with Missouri ghost stories.
Other attractions: opera house, wishing well, Davy Crockett ride, Native American canoe ride, animatronic shows, aviary.
Observation deck: banquet space, restaurants, cocktail lounge serving alcohol.
The estimated total cost was $40 million, with the city providing the building shell and Disney responsible for all interior attractions.
Stalemate and Cancellation
By spring 1965, negotiations collapsed over infrastructure responsibilities and control of the project. Disney wanted the city to provide walls, floors, electrical work, garages, and parking lots. The city believed Disney should handle all interior construction. Disney also wanted full control over the land; the city insisted on final say.
In July 1965, the project was officially canceled. Disney later said:
“We were asked to try to develop a major attraction having impact on the St. Louis area—a Disneyland. We suggested at the outset that the project of that scope and size and cost might prove difficult to accomplish due to a number of imponderable factors. Such has proven to be the case.”
From the Mississippi to the Swamps
By the time the deal ended, Disney had already begun buying 27,000 acres of swampland in Florida. The land was cheap, and Florida granted the Disney Company full self-governance through the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Many ideas from the St. Louis project—Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain—would be reworked for Walt Disney World.
What Happened to Riverfront Square?
The indoor mall idea continued without Disney. Mayor Cervantes’ nonprofit purchased the Spanish Pavilion from the New York World’s Fair and a replica of Columbus’ Santa Maria. Four years later, the pavilion opened with a parade.
But its popularity was short-lived. Within a year, the pavilion went bankrupt. The Santa Maria replica survived only one month before sinking during a thunderstorm.
You can find more at:
Twitter: @showme_history
Facebook: ShowMeHistorySTL
Until next time, I’ll see you in the Lou.