How a Giant SINKHOLE Almost Destroyed EPCOT

Did you know that we almost “lost” EPCOT at Disney World?

We’re not talking about Spaceship Earth growing legs and running away, but that there was something that brought EPCOT dangerously close to being swallowed up during its construction, and you’ve got to hear about it!

As we were saying, EPCOT came pretty close to being swallowed up and we’ve got to talk about the story with you!

If you’ve ever strolled through EPCOT’s World Discovery and wondered why there’s such a massive gap between it and the World Showcase Lagoon (the lake that butts up to the Odyssey Building), that’s because there’s a giant sinkhole under your feet!

Yep, EPCOT came dangerously close to being swallowed up by a sinkhole during its construction. Back when EPCOT was just a twinkle in Disney’s eye and as the vision for the park came together, Imagineers hit an unexpected (and very literal) roadblock — quite a large sinkhole.

Now, even though sinkholes are somewhat common in Florida thanks to the state’s swampy foundation, this one was a particularly large one and it was right in the middle of what was supposed to be a central area of the park.

According to Disney legend Marty Sklar — one of the key Imagineers behind EPCOT — the gigantic sinkhole was discovered near the Odyssey Restaurant. The sinkhole was so big that it halted construction plans for a whole section of the park.

Sklar revealed this during the park’s 30th anniversary Q&A. He said that workers basically tried every trick in the book to fix the problem like hammering giant pylons into the ground, hoping to stabilize it, but no luck. It was like the ground kept eating them up like some kind of earth-hungry monster.

Sklar mentioned that the team had to come up with an unconventional solution. So, instead of building directly on the unstable ground, they placed huge steel plates over the sinkhole to cover it up.

Now, this is conjecture but there are rumors that this same sinkhole might have been responsible for the demolition of one of Horizons. Many believed that part of the reason Horizons had to be torn down completely (rather than just revamped) was because of a sinkhole. The theory goes that the sinkhole may have spread, which impacted the foundation of the Horizons building. While Test Track (which shares the same building as the old World of Motion ride) remained unaffected, it’s still a mystery why Horizons was doomed but other areas nearby weren’t.

Either way, next time you’re wandering EPCOT, take a moment to appreciate the history beneath your feet. A sinkhole nearly took out one of the most iconic theme parks on the planet, but thanks to some Disney “magic” (and a lot of steel plates), EPCOT still stands strong today!

There you have it. That was just a bit about how a giant sinkhole almost “destroyed” EPCOT, and now we’d love to hear about any stories like that you’ve discovered in the comments below.

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