This is what an Anonymous reader posted in Blog comments last Sunday night: There is a big meeting this week from what i have heard with
Then Friday Blog reader Jason71 posted this on another Disney bulletin board: Hearing building demolition begins in October, only question is whether BET/AdvClub or Beach Club goes first.
That was responded to by someone named PKD who said this:
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
As you know from prior articles here on the Save PI Blog, work has already begun on the PI #1 bridge from Marketplace. That arch truss bridge section on the east side of the bridge (upper left photo) has been completely removed. It appears they are turning a bridge made up of 3 sections into 1 wide bridge as you leave Marketplace. The main path would then cross into this back stage area (upper right photo) which is between Raglan Road and Portobello Yacht Club. Motion, as seen in the photo, would be demolished and the main path would cut through there.
With RRBC and Motion demolished (upper left), the path would come into the main section of the Island via the Funmeister Plaza and proceed up what used to be called Hill Street. The rumored Lighthouse fast food restaurant/waterfront bar would go there. The current main path around and beside Raglan Road would still be there but presumably the goal is to get most foot traffic to go the new way to improve the flow.
I was told long ago from a highly reliable source that the Mannequins/8TRAX building cannot be demolished because the power grid (upper left) for the entire island is located in there. But that does not preclude the complex from being repurposed......or reopened. Finally, that is my new kitten Cody who appears on the Blog today because I needed an even number of photos for this article.
30 comments:
Never give in! Never Surrender! There is clearly a market for this, and PI will return!
Jordan methinks its time to start playing "Nearer my God to Thee" because I'd say the ship is finally going down. And Bob!!...better take your hacksaw out on your next visit and grab Funmeister before he ends up in a scrap pile like Jessica did....not to mention the RRBC plaque ;-)
...oh and cute kitty
pretty cool stuff here thank you!!!!!!!
Even the kitteh sez "Bring back PI!"
Cody is gorgeous. Brown tabbys rock.
More Cody please.
Hope there's a last minute decision to keep the rrbc building up and reopen the club!!! If not, save a piece of that building for me!!! Great memories there.
Nevertheless, it's better to have two clubs back than none at all! Cheer up people! We can't go back to PI golden age, but we sure can create a new era and have good times there
Cody is gray with black stripes; can't have a cat that doesn't match the carpet!
The person who posted that 2 clubs will reopen next year does not provide any background on his knowledge and thus it's just another rumor. I'd be happy but again, it's just an anonymous poster.
I'm 90% certain RRBC is coming down. Don't forget, there were reasons it closed well-before the other clubs.
Don't believe for a minute that having the main electrical feed for the island would prevent a building from being torn down! They recently relocated the substation that provide electricity to all of downtown Louisville without even interrupting power. Anything can be done given the determination and money.
thank you Mark
some think that you can not move a power grid! I have said this before!
at this point it's all about the money!
Yes, a new grid could be constructed and then new lines routed to all the facilities needing power. Anything can be done but it's not cheap. By keeping Mannequins building, there is no need to do it. They just need to get a tenant or two to fill the spaces. And that's been the problem. 8TRAX could easily be a multi-level store like Curl. But Mannequins...it has little use beyond a night club.
KingBob: do you think that we may see anything "Marvel" related coming to P.I.? I noticed a few weeks ago that the World of Disney is now stocking Spider Man shirts and the like.....
Mannequins will most likely return as top 40/hip'hop, and 8Trax remains the same, disco/80's.
I'll take it! Mannequins being a Top 40/Hip Hop club is logical since that is what the masses want to hear. That has the best chance of success. A reopened 8TRAX with Disco/80's would also do extremely well. Let's hope this is all true. The entire night club establishment in Orlando has to fear the return of the Mouse into the business.
you people are funny! when are you all going to realize that PI clubs are not going to make a reopen? if IF a club opens it will not be Disney opening it!
what will make you realize it's over? will it take months years oh wait it has been 2 years (soon) and it is still not open!
Mannequins/8trax has been closed for 2 years (soon) no one has been in the club to maintain the building i would take thousands to reopen then a millon OR more for the lights and sound system oh and music
It ain't over till it's over! And it ain't over yet.
Would be nice to see Disney finally make some sort of decision. And I've got the same area rug as you! :)
Yes hopefully next year they will reopen some of the clubs.
Also lets hope they put something worth while to replace Adventurer's Club.
Also hope they reopen the Comedy Wharehouse "with new comedy talent.
So lets keep those good thoughts coming.
I think it would be ok to blend top 40s/dance into Mannequins, but if it turns into Motion, it is a waste. ADH already is Motion, with a bad wedding mixed into it. If MDP played just house vocals and top 40 remixes, that would draw the techno fans and the top 40s fans.
socal, now you are jumping on the MDP reopening bandwagon too. have you heard anything substantial?
OK Bob when is it going to be over when they knock down everything someone rents all the spaces? when? when? when?
like I said Disney is not going to spend millons on something they closed! Disney is not going to gamble there money in a time like this!
you and others just can't face it it is over and has been!
Crystal, you've got good taste!
Zulemara, Disney really doesn't care much about ADH. As you know, it's contractually obligated to operate it as a nightclub for the Swan & Dolphin Hotels. It was there while PI was there; it can be there if a couple PI clubs reopened as well. Don't think you'd get a techno club again when people want Top 40. But as music genres continue to blend, a lot of Top 40 already includes Dance/House.
Anon at 8:15pm, I've said this before and I'll say it again. As long as former club buildings sit there empty, there remains hope, no matter how bleak, that it could be reopened. When the building gets demolished or something else moves in, then the hope is gone. And would Disney spend the money to reopen something? I don't know but I know this. The past is irrelevant to the decision. It's already happened. But if it's in their best interests to make that investment, they would do it.
the decision makers have made their decision on pi and it is not what any of us want to hear pi will stay in a holding pattern until the economy shows "extreamly positive" signs of recovery. small enhancements will continue to take place, like the bridge work. small entertainment venues will come and go with nothing being permanent, like the outdoor venue currently being offered. the entertainment budget was readjusted last month to include the current offerings. there is no short term plan to do ANYTHING with structures present. there is no short term plan to reopen anything. however there is a long term plan and bottom line the existing buildings are seeking to be sourced out to 3rd parties. company will not invest any money now..it is not allocated in any budget currently. pi will never be close to what our memories recollect. the once communicated plans from the companies mouth are all on hold.
And can you explain the source of that information?
insiders never divulge their sources
8:56, given the time Paradiso and Raglan have been having lately, I'm not sure where Disney thinks it's going to get 3rd parties to buy in. Despite the economy, restaurants are building/opening on Sand Lake Road and 192--but not at DTD. PI is (rightly) perceived as a ghost town these days, and it is going to take a serious change in direction by TDO to reverse that. Probably a cash investment in at least some of the buildings, as well.
The new fiscal year starts soon; anything is possible. Budgets have been revised before.
71Jason, I belive you're 100% correct. We know the company that owns Paradiso 37 has filed for bankruptcy. Let's not forget they own the Samba Room which is on Sand Lake Road. I've not heard anything one way or another about how Raglan Road is doing. But given the rents one would have to pay to be on PI, I can't see anyone taking that risk presently. But we still have the lighthouse restaurant/bar rumor out there.
Joe, good point,
there are no contract negotiations at the present time for any new venues..everything is on hold and nothing is coming down either
Pleasure Island has been on a long down hill fall. Remember the Halloween Costume contests? They were slowly downgraded until the final death blow a few years back. how about the FireWorks Factory? I had dinner there when Wierd Al Yankovich and his group came in for dinner. That was torn down for the Western Bar and dance area.
Stores that came and went. And the relabeling of the Empress Lilly was the beginning of the end of fun charactor breakfasts. I just think Disney can't deal with restaurants, notice how they are bringing in outside companies?
Oh, so many memories, too bad Disney doesn't listen to guests thoughts.
As for the demo due to the power grid, those buildings can go. As talented as the Disney Imagineers think they are, the power room can be retained and all else can go. This is done all the time and I am sure the Imagineers designed the building with this in mind. They must have purpose for the existing structure or it would be wiped from the face of the earth like the rest of PI. Long live the memory of the Comedy Warehouse and Adventurers Club. It was fun guys.
Chase
Post a Comment