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Tereglith

Architecture Contest: Cinderella Castle

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EDIT: THE CASTLE IS NOW COMPLETED "IN THE BRICK"!

Facts:

Name: ............................................................................Cinderella Castle

Location:..................Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland

Architect:....................................................Herbert Ryman and Associates

Classification:..........................................................Theme Park Attraction

Construction:.......Steel-braced frame with concrete work and gypsum plaster

Year:........................................................................................1970-1971

Height:..................................................................................189 ft (58 m)

Set:

Theme: Landmark

Pieces: 534

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Cinderella Castle Front by Tereglith, on Flickr

After the runaway success of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Walt Disney set his sights on a grander goal: the construction of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. And a grander park required a grander landmark to center it. Disney called upon Herbert Ryman, designer of the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, to create a new castle to center the Magic Kingdom. Ryman drew inspiration from his own previous work, as well as the castle portrayed in the film Cinderella, and historical castles such as Castle Neuschwanstein and Alcazar of Segovia.

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Building in Florida presented a challenge that designers had not encountered in California: hurricanes. A common urban legend holds that the castle can be taken apart and stored safely during a storm, but the truth is actually rather more impressive. Imagineers designed the structure to be able to withstand winds of up to 110 mph (175 km/h), and more besides. It has proved its strength time and again, most recently in 2004 when it withstood the full force of then-Category-2 Hurricane Charley.

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In addition to serving as the public face of the Magic Kingdom, Cinderella Castle serves a number of other purposes. It contains a restaurant (Cinderella's Royal Table), a lavish luxury hotel suite, a zipline station at its pinnacle (for the actress who plays Tinker Bell in various stage productions performed in front of the castle), and it is a functional landmark for navigation. Its central location and great height allow park guests to use it as a "Weenie", theme-park jargon for an easy visual reference for their present position in the park. The castle is so recognizable that even the FAA uses it as a landmark - it serves as the easy-to-locate center for the federal no-fly zone over the entire resort.

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More than forty years after its completion, Cinderella Castle still reigns as the most recognized and beloved building in all of Florida. Its fantastic design allowed it to surpass older sister Sleeping Beauty's Castle as the quintessential Disney building, and its phenomenal construction will enable it to greet park visitors for decades to come.

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(This baby is staying together for a good long while, so C+C just might be acted upon if you care to give them. Thanks for reading/viewing! More and larger pics can be found on my flickr account.)

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That is excellent! I'd definitely buy it. Who doesn't love Disneyland? Good job and luck. I look forward to seeing this 'in the brick'.

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That would be so cool. you did a very nice job and it is an iconic building known all around the world.

Nice work. If this is not on Cuusoo it really should be it would get my vote

Charlie

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Looks great. For a tip, the gray parts on the same level as the blue - you could change them to blue for a slightly better look.

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That would be so cool. you did a very nice job and it is an iconic building known all around the world.

Nice work. If this is not on Cuusoo it really should be it would get my vote

Charlie

Thanks for the praise. I would put it on Cuusoo, but unfortunately the recent change in submission requirements precludes that for another year and a half, as I'm a TFOL.

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Really nice model!! Are you going to build it with real bricks?

Don't forget to add a picture of the original building!

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After a couple of bricklink orders and a few hours out of my Spring Break spent building, the castle is finally complete! I've edited the initial post to include the new pictures of it, and consider this to be my final entry into the contest (unless I make a change to the model, of course). I'm very satisfied with how it turned out, but I'd love to hear what you guys have to say!

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Outstanding! You did great recreating the castle. You matched everything pretty well, the towers, the outer wall, the colors. Great job!

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