More of Tower of Terror's Repainted Facade Is Uncovered, and the Cracks, Stains and Rust Are Still There, on Purpose

Good news for anyone worried that a fresh coat of paint would leave the Hollywood Tower Hotel looking brand new. The section now out from behind the scaffolding is still cracked, stained and rusty. That is exactly the point.

Blog Mickey reported on October 3 that crews have taken the scaffolding down from the southeast side of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios. That is the section where scaffolding went up earlier this summer, around a balustrade, a row of arched windows and decorative tile. Blog Mickey billed it as a first look at the refreshed exterior, though WDW News Today had already shown smaller uncovered patches of the refurbished facade in updates on September 16 and September 29.

The uncovered wing, with scaffolding still standing just to the right. Photo: BlogMickey.com

Still haunted, just freshly painted

When we wrote about the project in mid-September, scaffolding covered the whole front of the tower and it was not yet clear whether the building's aged, weathered look would be fully recreated. WDW News Today's September 16 peek, which showed a weathered and cracked look, hinted at the answer, and Blog Mickey's photos now make it look like a yes, at least on this side.

Blog Mickey photographed the building from several angles, including from the guest parking lot, and said the uncovered sections appear to be finished. Zoomed in, the facade looks freshly painted, though the site noted that from a distance "it may look dirty." Here is what it spotted:

• The roofline: the dormers keep their arched windows, twisted columns and aged green spires.
• The stucco: painted cracks run across the walls, and dark stains streak down the pink stucco beneath carved stone panels and wood corbels.
• The metalwork: the shutters and downspouts wear a teal verdigris finish, while rust-colored stains mark the chimneys and trail across the window glass.

Painted cracks and streaks on a freshly repainted wall. Photo: BlogMickey.com

That weathering is deliberate. As Blog Mickey explains, scenic painters create the hotel's worn look by hand so that it appears to have been abandoned since 1939, which ties into the attraction's storyline. "Every stain, crack, and patch of rust has a purpose," the site wrote.

A few spots still need finishing touches. On the lower hotel structure, tan protective wrap still covers a few ornamental pieces, and parts of the walls and the balustrade show what Blog Mickey called "a lavender-ish base coat." The site took that as a sign the final layer of weathering has not gone on in those spots yet.

The tower is still wrapped

The top of the building is a different story. Scaffolding still rings the upper floors around the Hollywood Tower Hotel sign, and Blog Mickey spotted crews in yellow safety vests up on the platforms. Several window openings are covered in black plastic and red tape, which the site read as masking for paint.

Scaffolding still wraps the upper tower around the hotel sign. Photo: BlogMickey.com

Disney has not confirmed when the work will wrap up. The good news for thrill seekers is that Tower of Terror has stayed open through the project, and Blog Mickey said it has not seen any change to how the attraction operates.

The full building, seen with a pair of Disney Skyliner gondolas. Photo: BlogMickey.com

How we got here

• Spring: Decorative flags were removed by the Tower Hotel Gifts shop and scrim covered part of the facade. Scaffolding went up above the shop in early July.
• July 9: Scaffolding spread along the southeast side, the same section that has now been uncovered.
• August 4: Scaffolding started going up the building's front, and fresh paint appeared on its right side.
• September 16 and 29: WDW News Today reports small sections of scaffolding removed on the side by the attraction and gift shop exit, revealing the refurbished facade.
• October 3: Blog Mickey reports the southeast side uncovered, while the upper tower stays wrapped.

So, does the refreshed hotel look properly spooky to you, or did you secretly want to see it gleaming pink for once? Either way, the next big moment is when the scaffolding comes off the tower itself and we get a good look at that famous sign.

Sources

• Blog Mickey, First Look at the Refreshed Tower of Terror Exterior
• WDW News Today, Scaffolding Removal Reveals Refurbished Facade on Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios
• WDW News Today, More Scaffolding Removed from Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Image credits: BlogMickey.com (all photos).