ESPN Club removal begins at Disney's BoardWalk

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ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

Posted: Thursday July 14, 2022 10:30am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Demolition crews have moved into the ESPN Club on Disney's BoardWalk to remove the theming elements from the former ESPN building.

ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

Crews are using high-reach lifts and saws to cut through the steel supports of the large decorative pieces.

ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

The BoardWalk remains open to guests during the work.

ESPN Club demolition - July 14 2022

Disney has announced that a new table service restaurant and bakery, The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, will be taking over the space. Learn more about the BoardWalk updates.

The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers

ESPN Club opened at Walt Disney World in July 1996 and offered classic American pub cuisine, sports entertainment and shopping, along with live tv coverage of sporting events. The club closed along with the rest of Walt Disney World during the pandemic and did not reopen.

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lazyboy97o14 hours ago

The photos don’t show any signs of corrosion. It is a fiberglass coated product. By being exposed it was also able to dry. Just goes to show that Disney isn’t alone in projects being dragged out.

LSLS15 hours ago

Oh I'm more asking that because it's been sitting in Florida elements for like 7 months at this point, not that I thought that was permanent. Side note, I went back to see when I could first see the purple up in this thread. I saw the first announcements in March and laughed at it being over a year at this point for just a restaurant. Then, as I went looking for pictures, realized that was March 2022. I completely zoned out this is over 2 years now.

lazyboy97o17 hours ago

The glass mat sheathing is water resistant but it alone does not do everything required of a building envelope. It’s not just rain you have to keep out but also water vapor. The weather barrier also provides a continuous plane to drain moisture that does get through the finish whereas the sheathing is boards with gaps that would allow moisture to accumulate.

LSLS18 hours ago

Is that just an extra layer of protection against rain then? I guess I just assumed what they put up HAD to be rain resistant based on how long it was exposed.

EPCOT-O.G.21 hours ago

Now we’re watching paint dry

lazyboy97o1 day ago

They didn’t. eXP Board is gypsum-based glass mat sheathing, not EPS rigid insulation. A liquid applied weather barrier would look like paint.

Bocabear1 day ago

to tone down the purple and make it look like something was happening I would guess....I have never seen that done before.....Maybe it is some sort of new proprietary Cake Bake Shop coating to seal in the freshness? lol

Bullseye19672 days ago

Hold it. They actually painted EPS boards?????? WHY??????

Bocabear2 days ago

We were in a big remodel of a house down here in South Florida, and the contractor at one point had them paint the building just to distract from the fact that none of the important things had happened and he had not paid any of the subs...it was the cheapest thing he could do to make it look like the project was moving. This reminds me of that...... Hoping not though....The Corn Dog stand looks great though....

optjay2 days ago

TeriofTerror2 days ago

We're staying there next week, so I don't love our odds. I'm fine with the food trucks, but my husband is still holding out for corn dogs. 🤣

ToTBellHop2 days ago

Meant to be this summer, last I’d heard. So they can stop bringing in random food trucks.

mastromjm2 days ago

Not sure, but it looks very close to done

TeriofTerror2 days ago

At this point, I might be more interested in the corn dog stand than the cake shop; at least the corn dog stand seems like it might actually open at some point. Any word on its opening date?