Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
While press releases and concept art usually accompany major theme park expansions, Walt Disney World is actively constructing a mystery addition at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in total official silence. Known in permit filings and fan communities as “Project Fedora,” vertical steel framing has officially begun rising in the Echo Lake area.
Located between the exit of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and the Backlot Express quick-service restaurant, the project has been hidden behind rolling planter walls for months. Despite ongoing heavy construction, Disney has not released a single detail about what is being built.
Vertical Steel Rises in Echo Lake
The mystery build reached a major milestone in October 2026 when the structure officially went vertical. Aerial photographs captured by theme park photographer @bioreconstruct show a distinct steel pipe framework rising from the cleared site.
The imagery reveals vertical steel posts set on square concrete pads, connected by horizontal and angled support pipes. This vertical milestone follows intensive foundation work completed earlier in October, when crews poured concrete pads fitted with heavy-duty steel plates and anchor bolts. Dug trenches lined with rebar mesh, timber formwork, and overnight lighting rigs indicate that crews have been working through non-park hours to accelerate the structure’s foundation and steel assembly.
What Permits and Contractors Reveal
Although Disney executives remain quiet, public records filed with Orange County offer significant clues about the build.
On May 15, 2026, Disney filed two Notices of Commencement for general construction at 253 Cypress Dr—the specific address assigned to the plot next to the stunt show. The filings name two contractors: Slalom Construction Services, Inc., and Artistic Entertainment Services LLC.
The involvement of Artistic Entertainment Services LLC is particularly telling. The contractor specializes in custom thematic fabrication and set piece installations for Disney, having previously worked on Donald’s Dino-Bash at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Woody’s Lunch Box in Toy Story Land. Additionally, Imagineering recorded a permit on June 10, 2026, for new “signage” near the attraction, confirming that Project Fedora is a permanent, guest-facing offering.
An Indiana Jones Play Structure?
While Disney has not confirmed the project’s identity, all signs point to an Indiana Jones-themed interactive children’s play structure.
The codename “Project Fedora” is an obvious nod to Indiana Jones’ iconic hat. Industry sources told WDWMAGIC that the project is aimed at younger guests, and the newly erected steel pipe framework closely resembles the structural skeleton of an outdoor play system.
If true, this addition would fill a major operational gap at Hollywood Studios. Since the 2016 removal of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure, the park has lacked a dedicated outdoor play space for toddlers and young children while older family members ride thrill attractions.
Timeline of the Secret Build
- March 17, 2026: Work began at a former merchandise location near the stunt show exit.
- May 15, 2026: Disney filed construction permits listing thematic contractors.
- July 24, 2026: A large shade tree was removed to clear the site.
- October 2026: Concrete foundation work resumed, and steel framework went vertical.
As steel continues to rise in Echo Lake, parkgoers won’t have to wait much longer to see what Imagineering is unearthing behind the planter walls
