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Interiors

"We guarantee 'em creaking doors and creaking floors," our benefactor, Walt Disney, once said of our supernatural little retirement community. Though our exteriors are undeniably elegant, it's the unlived-in look and feel of our interiors which attracts the discerning creme de la creme of the spooky set. Decorated with care and taste by WED (now WDI) Enterprises (notably, atmosphere designer Claude Coates), our "Tomb Sweet Tomb" represents an eclectic mix of Victorian design elements. We enjoy remarkably consistent "gas" lighting (you can see the flickering mantles in a great number of our fixtures), in addition to supernatural light and a few marvellously spooky candles.


'Tomb Sweet Tomb' Sampler
Photograph Care of Kronos

In the fifties and early sixties, plans for our wonderful home were not so modern as they would later become. Instead of convenient Doombuggies for guest transport, the Mansion would have required guests to walk through our chilly halls (and no, that chill is NOT your usual air conditioning system! no artificial cooling systems for us...we use only the healthiest of supernatural methods!) with the assistance of a maid or butler. During these years, the house was being readied at different times for a Captain Gore, a family by the name of Blood, and even Disney film stars such as the Headless Horseman and the Lonesome Ghosts. Eventually, though, the Mansion became what it is today: a retirement community for a vast array of happy haunts!

Mr. Ken Anderson, a man initially assigned to our project, got quite a bit of inspiration from Mrs. Sarah Winchester's fantastic mansion, located in San Jose, California. Our endless hallway was directly influenced by the weird architecture of the Winchester House (AKA Llanada Villa), which grew haphazardly from a modest 1880's farmhouse into a huge, mazelike Victorian palace.


Mrs. Winchester's dark wood moldings and ballroom (with pipe organ, right) were duplicated in our home for the enjoyment of our residents and guests. Below are a picture of the 'skull' moulding and gryphon chain stations from our changing portrait hall (right), from Kronos. Below left is a photograph of one of Mrs. Winchester's mouldings (by Rick, who also took the organ picture).

It should also be noted that the legend of Sarah Winchester includes an obsession with spiritualism and the occult, which literally takes center stage in our Mansion with our resident spirit-spiritualist, Madame Leota, and her seance circle. While Professor Mary Jo Ignoffo has debunked the "Winchester Mystery House" mythology promoted by the attraction's management, the notion that Mrs. Winchester held frequent seances in a special room, or was in some way preoccupied with ghosts, still survives. While it is possible that Mrs. Winchester experienced a seance or otherwise investigated spiritualism - which was a fairly significant movement in the mid-to-late nineteenth century - there is no direct evidence of this in existence. While lots of people may have been interested in the scientific, religious, and thrill aspects of the movement, that doesn't mean that they were all obsessed devotees.

Sarah Winchester's Ballroom Organ

Skull Moulding

Winchester House Moulding

Gryphon

Our interior designers have paid quite a bit of attention to historical details, so that our older spooks will feel quite at home. The art nouveau movement - or, 'new art' movement, popular in the late 1800's and at the turn of the century - is well-represented in some of our wallpapers and light fixtures. The tigerlily motif in our foyer wallpaper is an excellent example, representing the bold and bright natural themes present in this fabulous French design movement (it tiles, folks! And you can buy your own version of this wallpaper from Bradbury & Bradbury in Benicia, CA. The wallpaper comes from the Victorian "Dresser II Roomset - Lily" collection, and appears in the Mansion in the "Ashes of Rose" colorway. ):

Foyer Wallpaper...


Our corridors, halls, and accommodations are papered with a myriad of other beautiful designs, including the following. All of the papers on this page are available to you should you decide to join us. Decorate your own corner of the Haunted Mansion with...

Demon Clock Hall Paper... Ballroom Paper...

"Demon Clock Hall"

(click on sample for larger tile)

"Ballroom Floral"

(click on sample for larger tile)

Endless Corridor Paper...
Corridor of Doors Paper...

Our "Endless Hallway" Special

(click on sample for larger tile)

"Corridor of Doors"

(click on sample for larger tile)

Based on a design by Rolly Crump.


From Kronos comes this lovely wallpaper sample from our Florida complex, which closely resembles our original 1969 flocked foyer design. I made it so it'll tile, if you want to do the wallpaper thing. Also pictured is a door pediment much like ours.

WDW Load Paper/DL Old Foyer Paper Door Pediment


Our haunts have been created with function as well as beauty in mind. Amenities available to our residents and guests include a large staff of helpful maids and butlers, wall-to-wall creeps, hot and cold running chills, valet hearse-parking, three otherworld-class portrait galleries (two with famous paintings of our residents, one with eminent photography), charming hallway sitting areas (replete with midaeval armor decor), a conservatory/solarium area complete with cozy coffin, libraries stocked with priceless first editions of classic ghost stories (Florida and Japan locations only), a seance room, a ballroom with organ and large fireplace, attic storage facilities, a delightful underground crypt facility, and a wide array of classes and activity groups.

These encompass various interesting hobbies. We have a number of musical groups, including our own glee club, called the "Grim Grinning Ghosts," as well as a resident orchestra and two opera coaches on staff. There is also an Egyptology club, a bicycling group, a Victorian ballroom dance society, a gun and dueling club, and more. For those who care to take a turn in the areas of astrology or spirit contact, we have a medium on staff. Madame Leota has a remarkable head for materializing the disembodied.

Coffin clock (above) designed by Rolly Crump for the "Museum of the Weird," which never quite made it to our Haunted Mansion. Various "Weird" elements did make it in some way or another, though. There *is* a demon clock...and a freaky face-chair (see right)...

Endless Hallway Seating Area
A charming place to rest, above (WDW MK version!). See Donald Duck on the cushion back? The snake moulding in front of the hallway drapery (at the top right of the photo)? The yellow umbrella in the umbrella stand? (Photo by Kronos)

Below is a spooky chair concept by Rolly Crump. Note the resemblance to the chair above! (Photo by AprilDecember)

Rolly Crump CHAIR


Haunted Bathroom
An early walkthrough attraction concept: Discovering a haunted bathroom!

Besides historical detailing, otherworld-class amenities, and the like, our residences feature the most modern conveniences! Hot and cold running chills, wall-to-wall creeps, and large, beautifully-designed bathroom areas.

 

The Knight! From the back!

Our suit of armor, in detail! How often do you get to see this stuff from the back?

 

Knight's shield detail...

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