Q: I’ve read conflicting accounts about a Disney park being built on the site of the 1964 New York World’s Fair grounds after the fair was over. Most accounts say that Robert Moses asked Walt Disney, but Walt said no. A few accounts say that Walt wanted to build there, but Moses said no. Do you know which is correct? Thanks, as always.
Louis, Rego Park, New York
A: Walt Disney was well along in planning Walt Disney World when the New York World’s Fair closed in the fall of 1965, so he would have had no interest in building a theme park in New York. Besides, he insisted that sites for Disney parks have weather conditions that supported year-round operation. The two-year fair had been closed from October to April each of its two years, primarily for weather factors.
Dave Smith