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Sam Gennawey

Sam Gennawey
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Sam Gennawey is an urban planner who has collaborated with communities throughout California over the course of more than 100 projects to create a great, big, beautiful tomorrow. Sam is a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Regional Planning History Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving municipal, county, and private sector planning documents from throughout Los Angeles County. Sam is the author of Walt and the Promise of Progress City which you can find on Amazon.
Our tale of a real life American adventure continues this week as we explore the proposed attractions of Disney's America theme park. If you are catching this popular series in the middle, please visit Part One & Part Two before you continue...
Last week, we launched ourselves back into Disney history to find the spark which ignited the Disney's America project . . . and Part One of our roller coaster story began. This week, we find ourselves barreling toward a brand new...
There are few Disney projects with greater mystique than Disney's America, a never built park which nearly became a reality. But why was it never completed and what sort of impact did it have on Disney and its reputation?...
Due to popular demand, I'm bringing you a new edition of the encyclopedia Samlandica today. I was inspired by dance, design, and dinosaurs. Lot's of history here, and a lot of really fond memories. I have a feeling that...
One of the great things about Disneyland is pulling back the various layers of history concentrated in such a small site. Disney historian Jeff Kurtti noted that if you are able to frequently visit the park it “is revelatory...
1956 was an a year filled with amazing new attractions and the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train promised to be one of the most spectacular. At a reported cost of $500,000, it was also the most expensive addition. The attraction...
The Disneyland tenth anniversary, what the Park called the "Tencennial," was a high watermark. Walt Disney was certainly proud of his Park and he was filled with confidence after the success of the World's Fair attractions. By 1965, he...
Once upon a time there was a very secret society within the earthen berm that surrounds Disneyland. Very few knew the actual number of members and the cost to join was quoted in terms similar to 'an arm and...
Sitting Next To Famous People This past weekend, I was invited by the fine people of the Disneyana Fan Club to participate in the Author's panel at their annual national convention in Garden Grove. There was no way that I...
Back in the early 1960s, author Ray Bradbury was concerned that the quality of life in the Los Angeles region was being threatened by urban sprawl and the lack of investment public transportation. He felt that the current leadership...
Maybe it was inevitable that Walt Disney would build Disneyland. He certainly had been studying the idea his entire life. His daughter Diane Disney Miller said, “When I was growing up, he was always talking about doing an amusement...
In honor of the opening of Luigi's Tires at Disney California Adventure, I bring you... Disneyland's Flying Saucers, an extinct attraction that has become the stuff of legends. They were spotted in Tomorrowland for only a brief time. For five...
Bob Gurr is the design and mechanical genius behind many of your favorite Disney attractions. From the Autopia to the Monorails, the PeopleMover or the Omnimover, Gurr was at the creation. His new book, Design: Just For Fun, is...