Joe pid=91668 dateline=1391645570 said:
Wow, I had no idea of that, Evan! Very cool.
This Google Maps image clearly shows how all three buildings are connected. Very interesting designing/planning. I would still imagine different parts were added at different times?
I am glad you were able to pull an overhead shot of the building. The original building, dating back to 1975, has the light colored metal roof. The part that was added for the "Boo Blasters: ride is the dark/black roof at the rear of the existing building
The original Safari theater had a covered amphitheater (open on three sides) where there was a stage for a live performance (it took up a little over 1/3 of the front of the existing building). After the live show, they would open the doors on either side of the stage into a short hallway (about 20 feet long) that led into a large screen movie theater at the back of the building.
I believe the 20 foot gap was for the "Green Room" [performer backstage area to change, rest, do makeup etc.] In the theater, the park showed a 15 minute film called, I think, "Virginia, The Pursuit of Happiness".
I believe in the late 1970's the park replaced the movie with 5 anima-tronic characters that were called "The Wolf Pack 5". The show was a 15-20 minute 1950's music revue. There was a male and female wolf character, [the male wolf was based on a person called "Wolfman Jack"]. There was a Gorilla character that played the piano ["Fats Domino character"], a drum playing Beagle. And there was one other character that I don't remember.
In the early-mid 1980's, KD did the first major makeover of the building turning it into Livingston's Restaurant. The outdoor amphitheater was removed and the front of the building was enclosed on the sides turning that front 1/3 of the building into the kitchen/serving line on the left, an open foyer area in the center and a small arcade section on the right side.
The dining area, a stage for live performance, and a back stage area for the performers took up the last 2/3's of the building. The park re-purposed the 5 anima-tronic characters into a African themed comedy. The dining room had an African theme with props and featuring different themed seating areas, I remember one seating area being Egyptian, another Moroccan, yet another being a jungle, Sahara desert, etc.
The shows were of a small carberet style with 3-8 performers. They had singing trio's & quartet's [maybe accompanied by 2-3 musicians], they had a small Magic Show, etc. The anima-tronic show would be timed to play in between the live shows.
In the early years of Paramount, the park made the front 1/3 of the building a Forrest Gump restaurant. They kept the kitchen/serving line where it was when it was Livingston's Restaurant. The Foyer area and the former small arcade were converted to the Gump dining area. The original entrance to the big Livingston's restaurant dining room was walled off. I don't know what the rest of the building was used for back then; the public no longer had access to that area.
When the initial Scooby themed dark ride was being built by Paramount, KD took over 1/3 of the rear of the original building for the ride and built the new ride structure building; attaching the new structure to the back of the original building. I think part of the middle section of the building is/was used for some of the ride mechanics for "Tomb Raider/The Crypt" ride [hydraulics?]
When Cedar Fair took over, the dark ride was re-themed to "Boo Blasters on Boo Hill" and the Forrest Gump restaurant became Outer hanks.
I don't remember every little detail and the exact timing of the changes; but, I think I am close to having 90% accuracy concerning the history of the building.
