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A new contest hosted by the Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration Project will giveaway a true piece of Walt Disney history in celebration of his 121st birthday.
As we likely all know, Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901, in Hermosa, part of Chicago, Illinois. Walt’s father was the son of a farmer and worked many different jobs, including as a carpenter for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in the city.
Credit: The Walt Disney Birthplace
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Furthermore, Elias Disney constructed the family home in a residential neighborhood within the Chicago suburbs. With design input from Elias and his wife, Flora, Walt Disney himself resided in the house on the corner of Tripp Avenue and Palmer Street until the age of four.
Walt would grow up in the metropolis until the age of five, when the Disney family would move to the idyllic countryside town of Marceline, Missouri. This small town became Walt’s haven, and a huge source of nostalgia in his later years, of course, even serving as inspiration for Disney Parks’ Main Street, U.S.A.
Credit: D23
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However, though the original Disneyland dream did not include his childhood home, it’s no less important as a part of Disney history. The preservation began in 2013 when the Birthplace project purchased the house with the intention of bringing it back to its former glory.
As a matter of fact, due to many other occupants renovating the original structure, the house in no way resembled the place where Walt and Roy grew up. Now, the restoration project hopes to reverse the alterations and return the authentic details of the home as created by the Disney family.
Credit: The Walt Disney Birthplace
As part of this effort, The Walt Disney Birthplace offers commemorative paver stones, along with gold plaques on the picket fence, honoring those whose donations have contributed to the restoration, as well as the future Center for Early Childhood Creativity and Innovation that will operate out of the site. And for a limited time, Disney fans can enter to win a paver of their very own, FREE!
During a birthday event at the home, two students from Walt Disney Magnet School in Chicago spoke on Walt’s creativity and innovation, and one of them, a middle schooler named Samantha, shared a video of other Disney students’ opinions of Walt’s legacy below:
In fact, the Walt Disney Birthplace will give one lucky fan their very own customized standard paver stone, a $150.00 value, for free if they watch, like, and tag one friend in this video on their three social media platforms. So, from now until Wednesday, December 14th at 5:00 p.m. CT, you have the chance to participate by heading over to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for entry into the giveaway’s random drawing.
The Walt Disney Birthplace will announce the winner this Friday, December 16, 2022. Will you become a part of Walt Disney history?
