Restoration is expected to take about two years, according to the chairmen of Thank You Walt Disney Inc. Work on the now vacant structure is expected to start as early as this month. When complete, plans call for an interactive historic site and a theatre to show classic Disney cartoons.
Renovation costs are expected to be between $3 and $4 million. An endowment will be established to fund future operations. Contributions have already been made. The Disney family pledged $450,000 and Time Warner Cable has contributed about $45,000 from cable hook-ups and television advertisements.
Built in 1922, the building housed the Laugh-O-Gram studio served Disney in his early days as an independent film producer. It now sits in an area that city leaders, businessmen and residents have long been trying to improve.
Three former Kansas City mayors took part in a groundbreaking ceremony. Former mayor Emanuel Cleaver II served as the master of ceremonies. As mayor, Cleaver pledged money and other resources to help revive the blighted areas along Troost, one of the city's major north/south arteries.
Also serving on the restoration committee are former mayors Dick Berkley and Charles Wheeler. Bob Mayer, an executive with GMAC Commercial Mortgage, heads the committee.
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