After her grandparents passed away, Kelly Wise Valdes found a treasure trove of candid pictures taken by her grandfather, Chester "Chet" Wise, a master craftsman and woodworker who worked on the construction of the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Wise and his wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Wise, both worked at the park from 1969 until their retirement in the late 1980s. This is the backside of Cinderella Castle, an iconic symbol of the park.
After her grandparents passed away, Kelly Wise Valdes found a treasure trove of candid pictures taken by her grandfather, Chester "Chet" Wise, a master craftsman and woodworker who worked on the construction of the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Wise and his wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Wise, both worked at the park from 1969 until their retirement in the late 1980s. This is the backside of Cinderella Castle, an iconic symbol of the park.
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Aerial view of the construction site —</strong> "Walt Disney previously conducted flyovers of this property that was scouted out by his colleagues, eventually selecting a location along I-4 south of Orlando, Florida," Valdes said. "Sadly, Walt Disney passed away prior to construction of the park." The Magic Kingdom opened in 1971.
Aerial view of the construction site — "Walt Disney previously conducted flyovers of this property that was scouted out by his colleagues, eventually selecting a location along I-4 south of Orlando, Florida," Valdes said. "Sadly, Walt Disney passed away prior to construction of the park." The Magic Kingdom opened in 1971.
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Walt Disney's Main Street </strong><strong>—</strong> "This nostalgic street was Walt Disney's tribute to his small town childhood home of Marceline, Missouri," Valdes said. "If visitors look closely at the detail of the buildings, they can see that all of the woodworking of the windows, doorways and all the details were hand-crafted by master carpenters."
Walt Disney's Main Street — "This nostalgic street was Walt Disney's tribute to his small town childhood home of Marceline, Missouri," Valdes said. "If visitors look closely at the detail of the buildings, they can see that all of the woodworking of the windows, doorways and all the details were hand-crafted by master carpenters."
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Main Street —</strong> Most of the buildings on Main Street were built using "forced perspective," which was used by most multistory buildings in the park, Valdes said. "The first floors are built to regular size, but the additional floor facades are built to 5/8 and 1/2 scale, giving the illusion that the building is taller than it actually is."
Main Street — Most of the buildings on Main Street were built using "forced perspective," which was used by most multistory buildings in the park, Valdes said. "The first floors are built to regular size, but the additional floor facades are built to 5/8 and 1/2 scale, giving the illusion that the building is taller than it actually is."
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Swiss Family Treehouse </strong><strong>—</strong> "The Swiss Family Treehouse was one of the original attractions at the Magic Kingdom's grand opening," Valdes said. "When I was a child, my grandfather told me that each of the 300,000 leaves was hand-wired on the tree."
Swiss Family Treehouse — "The Swiss Family Treehouse was one of the original attractions at the Magic Kingdom's grand opening," Valdes said. "When I was a child, my grandfather told me that each of the 300,000 leaves was hand-wired on the tree."
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room </strong><strong>—</strong> "The Polynesian-inspired Animatronics show was so popular when it opened at the Disneyland in California that it was also built at the Magic Kingdom," Valdes said.
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room — "The Polynesian-inspired Animatronics show was so popular when it opened at the Disneyland in California that it was also built at the Magic Kingdom," Valdes said.
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>The Crystal Palace —</strong> When the Crystal Palace Restaurant debuted on the Magic Kingdom's opening day, "it was a cafeteria-style experience," Valdes said. "This Victorian-inspired building is a prime example of the craftsmanship involved in each detail. The building design was influenced by San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers, England's Kew Gardens and the New York Crystal Palace."
The Crystal Palace — When the Crystal Palace Restaurant debuted on the Magic Kingdom's opening day, "it was a cafeteria-style experience," Valdes said. "This Victorian-inspired building is a prime example of the craftsmanship involved in each detail. The building design was influenced by San Francisco's Conservatory of Flowers, England's Kew Gardens and the New York Crystal Palace."
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Pinocchio Village Haus —</strong> Pinocchio Village Haus also debuted on the Magic Kingdom's opening day in 1971. "Each room in the restaurant is dedicated to a different character from the classic 1940 film, 'Pinocchio,' " Valdes said.
Pinocchio Village Haus — Pinocchio Village Haus also debuted on the Magic Kingdom's opening day in 1971. "Each room in the restaurant is dedicated to a different character from the classic 1940 film, 'Pinocchio,' " Valdes said.
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Pinocchio Village Haus —</strong> "Other than a few menu changes, there have been very few changes to the original structure, which is full of German-inspired architectural details," Valdes said. "Try to spot the wood carving depicting Pinocchio, Honest John and Gideon."
Pinocchio Village Haus — "Other than a few menu changes, there have been very few changes to the original structure, which is full of German-inspired architectural details," Valdes said. "Try to spot the wood carving depicting Pinocchio, Honest John and Gideon."
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Liberty Square —</strong> Wise's picture of Liberty Square was taken from atop of Cinderella Castle looking over Liberty Square toward Adventureland. "Liberty Square opened as part of the Magic Kingdom grand opening in 1971 as one of the original six themed lands," Valdes said. "There are architectural representations of each of the original 13 colonies in Liberty Square."
Liberty Square — Wise's picture of Liberty Square was taken from atop of Cinderella Castle looking over Liberty Square toward Adventureland. "Liberty Square opened as part of the Magic Kingdom grand opening in 1971 as one of the original six themed lands," Valdes said. "There are architectural representations of each of the original 13 colonies in Liberty Square."
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>Disney's Contemporary Resort —</strong> Construction of the Contemporary Resort is seen from the top of the train station at the Magic Kingdom's main entrance. "Each of the windows were handcrafted, then placed individually," Valdes said. "The train station was full-sized and served as the 'curtain' that hid the castle from visitors until they entered the park."
Disney's Contemporary Resort — Construction of the Contemporary Resort is seen from the top of the train station at the Magic Kingdom's main entrance. "Each of the windows were handcrafted, then placed individually," Valdes said. "The train station was full-sized and served as the 'curtain' that hid the castle from visitors until they entered the park."
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
<strong>CInderella Castle —</strong> There are five mosaic murals inside the Cinderella Castle archway that tell the story of Cinderella. "The series was designed by Disney Imagineer Dorothea Redmond and set by a team of six artists led by mosaic artist Hanns-Joachim Scharff," Valdes said. The murals have 14-karat gold and silver and more than one million pieces of glass in 500 different colors.
CInderella Castle — There are five mosaic murals inside the Cinderella Castle archway that tell the story of Cinderella. "The series was designed by Disney Imagineer Dorothea Redmond and set by a team of six artists led by mosaic artist Hanns-Joachim Scharff," Valdes said. The murals have 14-karat gold and silver and more than one million pieces of glass in 500 different colors.
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
Disney's Magic Kingdom marks its 45th anniversary this year.
Disney's Magic Kingdom marks its 45th anniversary this year.
Courtesy Kelly Wise Valdes
Building Disney's Magic Kingdom

Story highlights

Master craftsman Chester Wise hand-carved many Magic Kingdom details

His pictures show Disney's vision under construction

CNN  — 

Kelly Wise Valdes didn’t think twice about visiting the Magic Kingdom when she was a child.

Her grandfather, Chester “Chet” Wise, helped build the Disney park starting in 1969 and continued to work there until he retired in the late 1980s. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Wise, also worked at the park. They lived right by it until Chet Wise died in 2002, so Valdes visited often.

After her grandmother died in 2012, Valdes was given a box of pictures that she didn’t examine until she was packing to move last March.

What she found was a treasure trove: her grandfather had taken dozens of pictures of the Magic Kingdom under construction, often from high above. Valdes told CNN the story of these magical pictures.

What was your grandfather’s job?

My grandfather, Chet Wise, was a master craftsman and woodworker who handcrafted many of the architectural details of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando during its construction. He was a patient perfectionist and meticulous in his craftsmanship.

Walt Disney had been very particular in the details of everything in the original Disneyland Park in California, and although Disney had already passed away prior to the Magic Kingdom’s opening, the legacy continued.  

Thousands of construction workers were there during the Magic Kingdom construction. Disney kept a small handful of these master craftsmen and made them full-time Disney employees, and my grandfather was one of the chosen few.

My grandmother, Betty Wise, also worked at the Magic Kingdom as one of the executive administrative assistants who helped set up the executive offices. My grandparents worked there until their retirement in the mid-1980s. They belonged to the “Golden Ears Club,” a group of active Disney retirees.

Why did they live on Disney property?

My grandparents were one of 10 families that actually lived on Disney property, because Disney needed a handful of residents in order to incorporate Lake Buena Vista as an actual city back in the early 1970s.

These employees were handpicked, and my grandparents lived on Disney property until my grandfather passed away. It was so close to the Magic Kingdom that I could see fireworks from their front yard when I was a kid.

What was visiting Disney like for you as a child?

I was born in 1967 and raised in Jacksonville, about 130 miles from Orlando, and my earliest memories of my grandparents always included Disney. I never considered it unusual that they lived in a small community and they were one of a few Disney citizens. It just seemed like a normal thing to me.

I remember running through the Magic Kingdom towards Space Mountain and wanting an autograph from Mickey Mouse. My grandfather would point out things along the way. “I built this. I made that.”

Why did your grandfather take these pictures?

I believe that many of these pictures were specific to the architectural things he personally worked on. I remember him telling us that he crafted the detailed and intricate woodwork around the windows in the train station at the front of the park. He also did all the elaborate woodworking for windows on Main Street, Cinderella’s Castle and Pinocchio’s Village. He hand-built everything.

Why are these pictures special?   

I think there were many stock photos that were staged and were released by Disney that depict the construction during that time period. But there may not be a great deal of amateur, candid photographs from this time. So many people kept repeating that they had never seen pictures like these before.

My father and I aren’t sure that the construction crews were allowed to take pictures, but my grandfather was a little mischievous. And if you think of the logistics of it, it wouldn’t be easy. In 1971, people didn’t have small cell phone cameras. My grandfather had a large, heavy 35-millimeter camera, which I have, and he was working high on scaffolding. Some of his pictures from up high show the vastness of the whole construction site.

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