Thursday, April 24, 2014

PI Update: Construction Is Moving Quickly

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE  There are plenty of signs around indicating that Pleasure Island is still called Pleasure Island.  So let's take to the air with Save Pleasure Island Blog's official SkyCam and give you a parcel by parcel tour and construction update!
We'll begin our tour directly below at BET Soundstage Club.  The concept art we published a couple days ago shows that the bathroom complex at the far right has been removed.  The building in the art looks somewhat like the Soundstage Building but radically renovated.  Nothing announced for here yet.
Likewise for the Adventurers Club building next door.  The building in the concept art is vaguely shaped like what we see above but with a lot of renovations. Nothing yet announced for here yet either.
Next over is the already-existing Paradiso 37 restaurant.  This is the only thing that has opened on the Island since the clubs were closed in 2008 although it was already under construction.
Nice overview of the eastern end of Pleasure Island with all that construction taking place where Rock'n'Roll Beach Club and Motion used to stand.
Roughly at the midpoint of the construction area, what appears to be an outdoor entertainment amphitheater.  This was an idea that was shown in the Hyperion Wharf concept art and may be a holdover for Disney Springs.
Pointing out here those round cut-outs in the curve raised areas.  Perhaps for trees or perhaps for those magic pillars displayed in that Hyperion Wharf concept art??
This construction area adjacent the pedestrian bypass walkway is where newly announced The Hangar aviation-themed restaurant is going.  The concept art shows this built partially over the water of Village Lake.  The bypass here is temporary, the Pleasure Island water taxi pier appears to still connect here after the bypass is removed.
Construction area for The Boathouse restaurant and shop complex.
And zooming in a bit on that.  This will occupy the corner and also be raised on pylons out over Village Lake, much like RRBC used to be.
We previously pointed out this new construction going up behind where Fuego used to stand. We originally only saw solid block walls but now that the front is being built we can see there will be windows and doors.  What will it be?  I'm guessing another restaurant because Pleasure Island will be Restaurant Island.
After many years of discussion, work is finally underway in this cut-thru area that runs between Raglan Road and Portobello Country Italian TrattoriaHyperion Wharf blueprints we published showed one or two shops being built along one side of this avenue.  It is because of this area and Disney's desire to route foot traffic through here that Motion was demolished.
At Mannequins, something is being built adjacent the future restaurant building.  Don't know if this is a future entryway into Mannequins or something unrelated altogether.
The construction permit we published says both Mannequins and 8TRAX are being combined into a restaurant but that doesn't mean they can't be two different restaurants sharing a common kitchen.  But something is being built at the front entrance in the spot where the former entryway was demolished.
This new construction next to 8TRAX is on the land where the PI copy of the world's crookedest street was located and it takes advantage of the hill that used to be there.
Part of the hill has been dug-away to allow this to be a 2-story or higher structure throughout.
Looking down on West End Plaza where Comedy Warehouse once stood.  Supposedly the new steak house is supposed to be going where CW used to be.  Don't see anything happening here yet.  Some PI offices and the employee cafeteria used to exist under the plaza so it's possible they could return to under there since the plaza is not being demolished.
Lastly, looking from Planet Hollywood over to this area where a new bridge will connect over to the Island.  Not much new here since our last visit.  Tomorrow we'll have some more pics from elsewhere in Downtown Disney!

4 comments:

Jeff-Gainesville said...

Nice views from the eye in the sky!

KingBob said...

Thanks, Jeff!

Anonymous said...

HMM? they are building next to the Mannequins/8TRAX buildings? not part of? or attached.

KingBob said...

Yes, building next to it.