I finally figured out why I dislike a lot of the upgrades and changes

[KevinLong]

I am gonna rant a bit and I am sure many will disagree.

before I start I want to say that I get that almost all of the ORIGINAL buildings ( older than 25 years or so) are becoming very worn, inefficient for heating and cooling and just generally falling apart in some cases, and I know that new construction is better in every way.

Having said that my feelings on the most very recent buildings(fried fancies, new FITH, new furniture store), are that thematically they suck. I think the new stuff, while keeping the style of time period, does not fit with the feel of the older sections of the park. I know a huge part is that the landscaping needs to catch up with buildings and once they are more filled in with trees and bushes etc  they will not stand out so much. I am attaching a couple pics of the old places and some new.

I think this change is the one that is so undefinable for me, I think the new FITH exterior looks like a "Disney version" for lack of a better descriptor. all perfect and new. For me the part of SDC I like is the fact that it doesn't look like a shopping mall. same with the fried dough stand.

The new furniture artist renderings look like it would fit in a strip mall anywhere. I think this is the part of SDC that is slowly vanishing and that's a shame, because the charm of SDC to me is it IS NOT DISNEY.

look at the photos and tell me what you think..    ( yeah I know "shut up and get over it..")

my two cents..
Kevin 

[Duelist]

^ You most definitely have the right to state your opinion about things like this.  You are a paying customer just like the rest of us.  And I agree they do need to do a better job making the buildings look like 1880 but they are still trying to stick with the theme for the most part so I'm very happy with that.

[Pudgy Jones]

I agree with you. I describe it as "hillbilly chic". The old buildings look and feel like they've grown out of the earth, while the new one's look like an HGTV version of SDC.

The new FITH gives me a glimmer of hope for the future, but another part of me fears that SDC will be unrecognizable in ten years.

[shavethewhales]

The architecture of the park has always been a bit in flux. It's never been completely "historic", although certain buildings were built in a historic fashion. When they were still building log cabin style buildings on park such as the current apple butter store, those were built in the same fashion as historic log buildings throughout Missouri. Some of the other buildings throughout the city were just kind of put up and themed and look cool, but they are hardly historic or even faux-historic, they are simply unique to that period of architecture at SDC.

I miss the cramped old buildings, the trees growing through things, and the litany of theme items tacked to walls and strewn around flower beds and such. I remember "old" SDC, and understand what some are missing.

On the other hand, consider the challenges of today: massive crowds, ADA requirements, fire suppression, A/C + energy efficiency, lighting & power needs, etc, etc. The "old" SDC was built by hand and was primarily a crafting village with a few oddities and minor attractions. Today we have a massive theme park with tons of technology and guest needs, in addition to the sheer number of guests. Way back then they hardly needed much electricity to even run the park!

[KevinLong]

All very good points above, and I am not unsympathetic as the the infrastructure problems the old buildings cause.

almost all older building have some form of supplementary cooling/heating and it many cases it is barely adequate. and for the first many years the park was closed in the winter and need no heating.

I just personally wish the new construction could be done with a emphasis on retaining the older look while still being better insulated, and other modern requirements. Things can be new and LOOK old, a bit more custom painting on the exteriors, using aging techniques and other effects type of decorations.

 One other thing I know must be a pain in the ass to maintain is the simple split rail fencing.  it adds so much but is never put in anymore - it ages quickly and fits the motif much faster.  Now we get stone retaining walls usable as benches, but far less aesthetically pleasing.  you can't stop change but I don't have to like all of it...

thanks for listening
Kevin 

[KBCraig]

The longer park season, accessibility laws, and HVAC/energy are fair game for how park buildings are constructed.

Those things shouldn't change how they're styled, though.

A modern building can be clad in rough-sawn board and batten siding, and signs can still be hand-painted instead of computer printed.

Keeping things a bit crooked, warped, and slanted is part of avoiding the "too perfect" look. There's no reason to go "full Dogpatch" with ridiculous exaggerations, but you also don't have to make the park look like it was 3D printed.

[KevinLong]

The longer park season, accessibility laws, and HVAC/energy are fair game for how park buildings are constructed.

Those things shouldn't change how they're styled, though.

A modern building can be clad in rough-sawn board and batten siding, and signs can still be hand-painted instead of computer printed.

Keeping things a bit crooked, warped, and slanted is part of avoiding the "too perfect" look. There's no reason to go "full Dogpatch" with ridiculous exaggerations, but you also don't have to make the park look like it was 3D printed.

amen brother.....

[History Buff]

They don’t wrap the facade around the visible part of the new FitH.  It stops halfway and suddenly turns modern.  It’s even like that in the concept art.

[mhguy77]

 When I walked down to the Mystic falls for the first time I was struck at how large the scale of the buildings has become.  The cozyness of SDC and the tree canopy made the exploration of the park great fun.  The scale and size of the new buildings is in conflict with the theme.  They can create buildings that looked scaled down to try to maintain that SDC fee; but they are ( New BBQ Hall) scaling them up, the new FITH as mentioned is so large with no attempt to control the look.  This is eating into the vibe.  I personally think the walk down under the tracks when you get near the water has been lost.  Those sightlines of lake silver and woods were necessary but now there is a huge BBQ restaurant in the way.  Loss of water features, quaintness, trees, views are all adding to a park I dont want to linger in as long as I did SDC, just the desire to soak in the atmosphere feels lost.  SDC is losing its "park- like- woodsy" feel.
It no longer feels "real"

[KevinLong]

Thanks everyone for the comments, I was hoping it wasn't just me.... all of them were things I felt but could not describe.

 I know the reality is - nothing can be done about any of it, but we can hope it is just a temp current management thing and will be corrected at some point... 

pipe dream..  SDC has finally become a victim of its own success.

my two cents
Kevin

[Duelist]

It's still my favorite place to visit.  Yes the Riverside Smokehouse is huge and takes a lot of room but look at how many people it seats.  I've never seen it at capacity and that's a good thing for the park because that means their diners have a place to sit and eat.  They have to go bigger on buildings because they have bigger crowds than they used to.  And believe me I sympathize with those who miss the old days- I've been going to SDC since 1969.  Yes I would be happier if the new exterior part of FITH looked more like the old one but I'm so excited for what they are putting inside the new ride that I can't be disappointed in the look of the outside.  And since they're not yet finished working on the ride who knows what the finished product will look like?