SDC's 2011 Project

[Copper]

I think HH just needs demolished and rebuilt; the park has outgrown the building.  The aisles are small, the registers are hidden and the ceilings are too low.  A building should be conducive for what it is intended for, that building was built as a cave waiting area.  It was not intended for 2million people to travel through it in a year.  The entrances to the building need more space, a lot more space!  

I would love the Cave to have its own entrance and not have to deal with the HH!  The murals can't go, they are a major part of SDC history.  Are they replacing them with cheap t-shirts or some other cheapo thing merchandise has come up with?  It wouldn't surprise me, sad to say.

[Junior]

It surprised me, Copper, to read your above post! The HH is an old, old building, to be sure, but I always thought it served well. Think about it...cave tour area, a couple of gift shops, a concession, rest rooms, plus, hidden behind the scenes...office space and storage space. Anyway, I see what you mean, but I hope they keep it...and preserve those murals!

[rubedugans]

Those murals would look great in my entryway!

[sanddunerider]

you mean you havent taken pictures, printed them up and have them hanging already?

   LOL>>>> 

[pintrader]

It would be pretty good for the cave to have it's own entrance and not have to deal with the HH.  The entrances or exits to the HH (whatever their being used for at the time) could be quite a bit wider.  The main problem I've noticed is entering and exiting at the same time during Old Time Christmas.  Going thru the Marketplace isn't much better.  It would be nice to have one entrance into the city and one exit, with the exit going directly to the parking lot.  But I don't believe this would ever happen because they want people to walk past that last bit of merchandise to get that last sell.  That being said I sure hope they never demolish the HH.

[rubedugans]

My thoughtsa are they would need to incorporate it into a new design, with the cave leaving on one side of the building, and returning on the other...the lower level-cave train exit would need to somehow lead up to the city again. Not that that is a big issue, they have done much more than that before, but I would think that it (the HH) would be adapted/ changed to warrant itself better to the flow of the modern vacation traffic (not that of the 1960's).

[joshblakebran]

I hope they leave the HH just as it is...yeah, maybe it get's crowded but isn't that part of the "aura" of SDC...Maybe as I'm walking through the crowd I'll run into one of you...Why is everybody so into changing the traditions and makeup of SDC...I read these posts and on the one hand, many are upset because a lot of the traditions and what SDC used to be are being changed...On the other, there are many of the same people posting wanted changes that would do the very thing they've blogged about before...Not trying to be critical, but I hate to see SDC become just another amusement park...I'm all for adding a ride here or there that' themed appropriately and does not intefere with current "history" of the park and I look forward to what construction will happen next as long as it does not require changing "Who SDC is." Some things, however, need to be left alone...

[Swoosh]

HH could be razed and I would not feel any remorse or pain.  It just does not work with the current attendance figures of SDC - especially during OTC.

NOW if FitH, G'sM, or FM were to leave I'd call foul big time.
HH on the other hand has no connection with me other than being a pain to navigate at the end of the day.

===

As far as cave emptying out where it started, that would just involve rerouting the route back to the other side of the building.  Would not be that difficult.  I sure would like a building specific to the cave for an entrance that is not connected to the HH.

Also I would love to see the small snack shop in the HH be removed to open up more room.  There are plenty of options nearby out in the City that there is no need to take up that space with another.  If need be they could build another stand out there to accomidate the loss of this one.  That alone would help with the flow of traffic.

[rubedugans]

I always saw the building almost as an anachronism-something out of place with the era- but I also saw it as a gateway to the city. I have never felt like it was part of the whole. I understand that at some point, you have to change from 2011-1880, and that happens when leaving the HH and moving into the City, and then upon leaving, you once again cross a line and are out of 1880. (Just like in Field of Dreams, there is a line that is crossed, and the change is immediate) Regardless of the bakery, and parts of the OM, in my mind I am no longer in the City when I enter the HH upon exiting the park. I think like the other structures that have been built in the park, the building can be constructed to make you feel like a part of the era immediately upon going through the turnstyles.

[pintrader]

I myself hate to see SDC ever change and wish every stick and stone would stay the same every time I visit.  But in reality I know changes have to be made for the survival of SDC and benefit to it's visitors.  If you just look at the parking situation over the years, it tells quite a story.  It started with maybe a 10 car parking area across highway 76.  Moved to what is the square now and then evolved into what it is today.  That has been quite a change over the years and probably not everyone liked it, but it was a necessary one.  This is kind of how I look at the HH.  If changes are going to be made this off season, and it sounds like they are from the reports of the citizens.  We might as well throw our two cents worth in, they might just listen.  What's the old saying "If you can't beat them, join them".

[shavethewhales]

I've never felt that HH was really a part of the city. It acts more like the final portal from the real world to SDC, and it doesn't even do a very good job at that. Other than the murals, there's absolutely no aspect of the building that adds value to the park. It's just plain bland and cramped overall, I know SDC can do better.

However, it's not the type of thing I see them really spending money on to rebuild anytime soon. If they had the resources, I'd love to see the outer gates and OM be transformed into a kind of vintage train station sort of thing, as if guests were truly arriving in a different era. Where HH is now I would have separate buildings on either side of the pathway with a huge ornamental arch/breezeway of some kind.

I don't see why they'd want to get rid of the murals though. They must be in bad shape or something. I admit I haven't even looked at them in a long time.

[saladdays]

Yep, HH is too cramped.  I too have no problem with razing or drastically changing it to make it more accommodating.

[haytater]

I've always had a bittersweet relationship with HH. I love looking at all the merchandise but it's a signal that my time at the city is about to end and won't come again for another year. Really, I'm more attached to the stuff in HH, not HH itself. I'm with Swoosh. HH is not something that has the quintessential SDC quality like the attractions inside the city.

[rubedugans]

SDC updated their Faceboook page with several photos from the carousel restoration:
SDC Facebook Page

[thelarsonsix]

Also I would love to see the small snack shop in the HH be removed to open up more room.  There are plenty of options nearby out in the City that there is no need to take up that space with another.  If need be they could build another stand out there to accomidate the loss of this one.  That alone would help with the flow of traffic.

That is a great idea. I don't think it really gets a lot of business anyway.