Have you ever wondered what it's like to hang out in the ultra exclusive, members-only "Club 33" at Disneyland? Or how about marrying your soulmate surrounded by your closest friends and family in front of the Sleeping Beauty castle with fireworks going off in the background? Well, we've got an even better offer for true Disney fans - an original map of Disneyland, created by Walt Disney himself, will be auctioned off in Sherman Oaks, California this June by Van Eaton Galleries.
The map dates back to 1953 and was created for potential investors interested in funding the amusement park, that we now all know as "the happiest place on Earth". The map has not been viewed by the public in over 60 years and is considered to be the single most vital piece of Disneyland memorabilia - due to its important influence on the park's architecture - to ever go up for auction.
Walt Disney and development team discuss early plans for Disneyland.
The map was critical to the development of the park, but one day in 1955, during one of the last planning meetings for the park, a Disney employee named Grenade Curran asked Walt if he could have the map as a momento and Walt agreed. Curran knew the map was important and kept it in great condition, unknowingly preserving a significant piece of Disneyland's history.
60 years later, the map is hitting the auction block, along with 800 other Disney items including original props, costumes, souvenirs and artifacts. The map is expected to sell from anywhere between $750,000 to $1,000,000.
"That an artifact like this, which is so deeply rooted in the creation of Disneyland, still exists today is astonishing. With the discovery of this piece, we have an item that Walt Disney created during a 48-hour period of hard work and imaginative genius, which succeeded in getting him the funding he needed to build one of the most successful endeavors of his career, and which he continued to personally use throughout the entire building stages of Disneyland," said Mike Van Eaton, co-owner of the Van Eaton Galleries. "Without this map, there would likely not be a Disneyland today. We're very excited to be bringing this item to auction and to have the chance to share the story behind this map with the millions of people who love Disneyland just as Walt originally wanted."
Mike Van Eaton, co-owner of Van Eaton Galleries standing next to the original Disneyland map.
The auction will take place next month, but Disney fans can stop by Van Eaton Galleries to view the exhibition in June.
