Grandfathers Mansion CLOSURE?

Junior · December 01, 2011, 08:40:37 AM

Shave has put a killer collection of photos together from his recent trip to SDC. One of the photos is of Grandfather's Mansion, and he speculates because of the ADA regulations for the handicapped getting amped up, that perhaps it won't be long before the mansion closes! HOw do you feel about Grandfather's Mansion? I first went through it back in the summer of 1970 as a kid. A few years later while working at SDC, one of my duties was to sweep and clean the mansion and treehouse every morning prior to park opening. I have fond memories of the mansion, I would hate to see it go. Chime in, let's hear from you...come on...

palallin · December 01, 2011, 09:04:52 AM

Keeping GM open denies access to it to a small percentage of the population. This is inevitable. The fact is that ADA compliance still doesn't open EVERYPLACE up to everyone. What of people comfined to iron lungs or in traction? People who are on life support? People who live 10,000 miles away and can't afford tickets to get there? ADA is a feel-good measure. Unless we die suddenly, most of us will end up in a condition which will prevent us from doing GM. When she was needing her hip replacement revised, my wife couldn't do GM. She, as we all will have to, accepted the loss--we couldn't know at the time that it was temporary.

The other fact is that closing GM because it can't be made ADA compliant denies it to EVERYONE. That is spiteful childishness: "I can't play with your ball, so I am going to throw it away so you can't play with it either."

There are places I can't go and activities I can't do. Far be it from me to demand that those places and be closed or ruined simply to makes my grapes less sour.

sanddunerider · December 01, 2011, 12:26:19 PM

Well lets hope the grandfather's manison can be "Grandfathered" in..

I would hate to lose another "original" attraction..

Even if the law comes out and says existing structure 20 or 30 or 40 years old,,,, the mansion will still qualify!!

shavethewhales · December 01, 2011, 12:29:50 PM

It's pure speculation on my part, but I've thought for awhile now that GM is on it's last legs. ADA aside, it's a small attraction that not many people even seem to know about that doesn't offer much these days relative to SDC's other attractions, so you have a low benefit for the cost to maintain it. Then there's insurance and general safety concerns with the obvious crazy floor and the dangerous stair case down to it. We've seen other attractions close down for the same general reasons in the past few years.

They've done some upkeep recently, so I assume it'll be around for a little while longer, but it's seasons are surely numbered. Hopefully they can rebuild it again into something new and exciting eventually. There's probably a way to keep the sloped floor even with the new regs. if they build a bypass around it or something.

MissinTheGreenTrams · December 01, 2011, 12:32:07 PM

I agree. GM should not be closed down! I am sorry if something prevents you from going thru its magical awesomeness. That is truly a downer. But whats an even bigger downer is if everyone stops going through it. For many many years it has entertained masses of people and continues to do so. Should I find myself in a child carrying state that means I cant ride the rollercoasters. So should I pitch a fit and shut the rollercoasters down because I cant ride them? No.

Upon further investigation, if you are too large to fit in the restraints cant ride certain rides. Should those be shut down also? Is it fair their circumstance does not allow them to ride those certain rides? Or how about the guest with prostetics not able to ride the giant swing? Lets shut that down also due to being fair.

Seriously a line needs to be drawn. I am sorry if your circumstance does not allow you to go through GM and you are missing out on its coolness. Instead of looking at what you cant do, look at what you can do. There is so much open to those who are in predicaments beyond control. SDC has done great finding a way to open so many of their rides to everyone. Lets say your in a wheel chair and want to ride FITH. Find an attendent let them know whats up enter thru the exit with a friend to help you get on ride. It is that easy. Please do not shut down GM. There is no reason for it.

Junior · December 01, 2011, 04:37:39 PM

Grandfather's Mansion is a "gravity house" attraction. It is an expanded and remodeled project that we enjoy today. It originally was known as "Slantin' Sam the Miner's Shack." The tilted room on the ground floor is the original "Slantin' Sam." Go to your search engine and type in "gravity house," and see what pops up. There are many other attractions across the country and around the world that feature many of GM's novelty gags. I stumbled across a site that also told the history of gravity houses, also known as anti-gravity houses, or mystery houses. Perhaps some of you more computer technical savvy folks can post a link or two to some of these sites so others can enjoy them too.

rubedugans · December 01, 2011, 08:21:36 PM

I posted the links several months ago.
Here is one to start with:
http://www.sandlotscience.com/MysterySpots/Mystery_Spots_1.htm
http://www.dafe.org/attractions/history/tilthouse/tilthouse.php

I'll see if I can find the other post tonight...

eagle1 · December 01, 2011, 08:46:22 PM

The new 2012 ADA laws are tough this time. It is just not places like SDC, but restaurants; all business buildings; hotels/motels; mini strip malls, etc. etc.

I went to a conference earlier this year about the new 2012 ADA laws and it is going to cost every business lots of money to be "in accordance". It will end up changing many things or a business may have to close due to the costs. I think we have come a long way in ensuring that as much as possible is accessible to anyone no matter, but I do agree it has now getting out of control. On the hotel/motel side, all pools have to be redone completely and you must have so many ADA rooms based on the total rooms you have. So next year I am having to add 3 more ADA rooms and have all rooms with full ADA kits. I can't see how this is going to keep costs down for the hotel/motel business with all that we have to comply to now. Not only that, I have to rent out every available room that is not ADA before I can rent to someone that does not need it unless only rooms I have. So, I have 66 rooms, 3 are ADA now....then add 3 more; I don't rent the ADA rooms I do have that often anyway so......this is tough. I will be finding out more on the hospitality side the next few months to see if anything has changed. PLEASE keep GM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MissinTheGreenTrams · December 01, 2011, 08:50:23 PM

I am all for helping those who dont have a voice. It is great. But I have a voice too an I can hollar loud. No reason to get rid of GM. I am angered with this speculation. Its sparked quite a chord within me. ARG!

tiffanylynnt · December 01, 2011, 11:21:21 PM

Kinda along the same lines as what Missin said. If they close GM because of the handicapped (wheelchairs, crutches, etc.), then shouldn't the rollercoasters be shut down because of people with heart conditions, or because they are too short, or can't ride because of any of the other safety rules? There is no way to make everything seem fair for those with health problems without it not being fair for those of perfect health. I had a weird inner ear thing going on over the summer and I had a tough time going thru GM because of it. Just because I couldn't do it, I didn't demand they shut the doors so nobody else could do it either. I would hate it if GM closed

Injun Joe · December 02, 2011, 12:21:07 AM

Glad to see everyone in agreement here. I can't stand the thought of losing this type of attraction, particularly Grandfather's Mansion. Bring back the Bell and make it accessible (if it wasn't already; I can't remember that detail) to appease the PTB.

If we lose Grandfather's Mansion to the gov'nment, I'm jumping off the biggest ridge in Christian county.

oldsdcer · December 02, 2011, 07:22:00 AM

It only takes one person to ruin everything for everybody. My Sister-In-Law in on a local school boards that has open each public meeting with a prayer for over 30 years, at the last meeting someone stood up an objected that it was an offense to them and that they were going to sue the school board. The school board's lawyers said the objected had legal grounds and the board would lose and have to pay.

Junior · December 02, 2011, 08:39:41 AM

Injun Joe: The diving bell WAS handicapped accessible. No stairs, wide walkways and hallways, loading dock. The doors to the diving bells were wide, and we could fit a wheelchair through easy. The exit passage on the other side of the diving bells was a bit narrow, so when the ride was over and everyone else was out safely, we simply opened the opposite door that the visitors came in, backed out the wheelchair, and took the folks back out the entrance. (Although by doing so, it blew the illusion that the capsule had gone underwater, because the loading dock and the exit tunnel were on opposite sides!)

DollarCityBoy · December 02, 2011, 10:55:44 AM

This time last year we were all speculating that Huck Finns Hideout would be torn down during the off-season....well it wasn't. Sadly, even though it has been closed for some years now, at least we are still able to enjoy the atmosphere of the outside of it. God-willing, it will last through another off-season.
That being said, just remember that this is all 'speculation' of what could happen. I would hate to see Grandfather's Mansion closed, for any reason. Sure, it's not as fun as it use to be when we were all kids (with all its working affects), but it is one of the few lasting classic attractions we have.
SDC, Please try your hardest to KEEP this beloved attraction open for as long as possible.

shavethewhales · December 02, 2011, 12:39:30 PM

Quote from: DollarCityBoy on December 02, 2011, 10:55:44 AM
This time last year we were all speculating that Huck Finns Hideout would be torn down during the off-season....well it wasn't.

The only reason it hasn't been torn down is because they have no real reason to yet. If they ever finally get something else to put there it will be down in a heartbeat. Until then it's nothing but a lawn ornament like GM could become someday.

You're right that it's all speculation though, but this is sadly one of the areas where we can speculate pretty accurately. Despite all of our complaining, someday soon the benefits of keeping GM will fall short of the effort it takes to maintain it with the new laws, modern guests, lawsuits, ect. That's why I think the best thing we can do is encourage the park to do a serious remodeling of the attraction to bring it up to code rather than trying to keep it on life support.