Downtown Orlando Unveils Plaque Marking Disney’s 1965 ‘Florida Project’ Announcement at Former Cherry Plaza Hotel

A new downtown marker ties a pivotal Central Florida announcement to a specific place

A commemorative plaque has been unveiled in downtown Orlando to mark the site of the 1965 press conference where Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney publicly outlined plans for what was then called the “Florida Project,” the development that later became Walt Disney World.

The marker was installed near Lake Eola at the location of the former Cherry Plaza Hotel, a property that no longer operates under that name. Event organizers stated the plaque will be mounted on an exterior wall at the former hotel site near East Central Boulevard.

What happened in 1965, and why it mattered

The 1965 announcement came after months of regional speculation tied to quiet land acquisition in Central Florida. In the mid-1960s, a network of purchases assembled a large tract of land that would become the foundation for a major destination resort. The public confirmation helped end uncertainty around who was behind the acquisitions and shifted local planning expectations for tourism, roads, lodging, and long-term growth.

The press conference at the Cherry Plaza Hotel placed Orlando at the center of a project that would reshape employment patterns and the region’s economic structure over the following decades. In the years that followed the announcement, the resort’s development accelerated, and Walt Disney World opened in 1971.

Participants and location details

City leaders and Walt Disney World representatives participated in the unveiling. The ceremony focused on the hotel’s role as the setting for the original announcement and the continuing relevance of that moment to downtown Orlando’s history.

The site is in the Lake Eola area, within a downtown corridor that has seen repeated redevelopment since the mid-20th century. By placing the plaque at street level, organizers framed the commemoration as a permanent, publicly accessible marker rather than a display limited to a museum or private venue.

Economic context highlighted during the event

Officials associated with the event cited Walt Disney World’s current scale in Central Florida, including a workforce of about 80,000. They also described a broader tourism employment ecosystem tied to the region’s cluster of attractions and hospitality businesses.

• 1965: Public announcement of the “Florida Project” at the Cherry Plaza Hotel in downtown Orlando
• 1971: Opening of Walt Disney World
• 2026: Plaque unveiled near Lake Eola marking the press conference site

The plaque is intended to permanently identify the location of the 1965 announcement and connect today’s downtown streetscape to an event that helped define the region’s modern tourism economy.

The unveiling adds a new element to downtown Orlando’s historical landscape, anchoring a widely recognized milestone in Central Florida’s development to a precise address and a visible marker for residents and visitors.