Disney CEO Bob Iger greeted a small crowd Monday morning in the original animation building on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank for the dedication of the newly-restored office suite of Walt Disney in the northeast corner of the building’s third floor.
In attendance were members of the Disney family, as well as several Disney Legends: world-famous songwriter Richard Sherman, former head of Imagineering Marty Sklar, and (perhaps most notably in this case) archivist Dave Smith, whose work in cataloging and preserving Walt’s furniture and belongings was instrumental in returning both the “formal office” and the “work office” to their mid-sixties glory.
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2015 marks the 75th anniversary for the Burbank studio, which opened in 1940 after being built using the revenue from the release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” These rooms served as Walt’s offices from that point until his death in 1966. Four years later, Dave Smith founded the Walt Disney Archives and began to remove and store the furnishings and decorations. Since then, many of the artifacts have been rotated through temporary displays around the country, including in the Disney theme parks in both California and Florida.
Now that Walt’s office suite has been fully restored to appear as it did during the height of his fame and success, the exhibit will be open to Disney employees, cast members, and VIP studio guests. Beginning in 2016 it will become available as part of the studio lot tour offered to Gold Members of official Disney fan club D23.