On July 17, 1955, Disneyland opened its gates for the first time. Instantly capturing the imagination of millions of visitors, the “Happiest Place on Earth” became an icon of American popular culture. However, the full story of the park began long before with Walt's dream of sharing time with family.

After triumphing in the world of animation with such classics as Fantasia and Cinderella, Walt Disney turned his eye to the world of theme parks. Disney originally planned for a small attraction adjoined to his animation studio, but his vision soon expanded to a full-scale fun fair of rides, restaurants, and live performances. Inspired by a trip to Griffith Park and the world fairs of his childhood, Disney endeavored to build a place where "age relives fond memories of the past—and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future." To this idea to life, Walt assembled a team of the best. His “imagineers” were selected from the Disney studio’s artists, engineers, and designers.

The team used filmmaking tricks, like miniatures and forced perspective, to bring Walt’s fantastical ideas to life in the park. Among this crew was Harper Goff, the concept artist who designed Main Street U.S.A.’s Town Hall, Bruce Bushman, an art director turned park ride designer, and Harriet Burns, who built scale models of the entire park including its centerpiece, the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

When design and construction began, Walt was a very busy man. He was both the head of the preeminent animation studio in Los Angeles, and a producer on many live-action pictures. In order to be able to actually visit his park, he hoped to build it adjacent to his studios. As the scale of the project grew though, he realized he would need a different location to realize his complete vision. Walt turned to developer C.V. Wood and economist Harrison Price at the Stanford Research Institute to help.

The SRI was originally founded to assist the West Coast’s development post-World War II. This made them the perfect fit to find the location for the theme park. Walt’s specifications were simple: the park should be in Southern California and on flat land away from the ocean. Based on the SRI’s analysis, Disneyland found its home on 160 acres of orange grove farmlands around Anaheim, 25 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Construction spanned a tight 18-month schedule, an ambitious timeframe given Walt’s vision. There was much to do: brothers Bill and Jack Evans were hired to landscape the grounds with exotic plants, while Roger Broggie supervised the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, one of its locomotives based off the Lily Belle, the 1/8th scale train that encircled Walt’s house. There were also hundreds of animals that would pull carriages throughout the park, all of them trained by Owen and Dolly Pope in a corral built on the property.

In the run-up to the park’s opening, Walt inked a deal with ABC to provide programming to the fledgling network. Walt Disney’s Disneyland chronicled the construction of the park, culminating in Dateline: Disneyland, an hourlong live special for its opening. Walt was anxious in the days leading up to the opening but was exuberant by the time the gates opened and the cameras started rolling. Finally, he could share his project with the world.

The park was divided into five themed lands, each with its own unique attractions and atmosphere. Main Street, U.S.A. was a nostalgic homage to turn-of-the-century America, while Fantasyland was a fairytale realm full of classic Disney characters. Adventureland promised daring expeditions to exotic locales, while Frontierland invited visitors to relive the excitement of the Wild West. Finally, Tomorrowland was a futuristic vision of what was to come.

Disneyland was to be a playground for the entire world, but Walt was sure to carve out a private slice of paradise to be enjoyed by him and his family. Discreetly hidden above the iconic firehouse on Main Street was an apartment for the Disney family.

Known as the Cranberry Room, this small space was decorated in the Victorian style by set decorator Emile Kuri. Kuri described collaborating with Walt like “working in another world.” Of course, the room was also equipped with a functional fire pole hidden in a closet in case Walt needed to make a quick exit. Here, Walt and his family could find privacy and rest in the heart of Disneyland.