The Hollywood Tower Hotel has spent more than three decades looking deliberately abandoned. This summer, though, guests walking down Sunset Boulevard are seeing a very different addition to its aging facade.
Scaffolding continues to spread across The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios as an ongoing refurbishment expands around the attraction. What began with work closer to the queue and gift shop has grown into a much more noticeable project across the right side of the massive building.
Disney hasn't announced a major transformation of the attraction itself. Still, the growing construction footprint makes one thing increasingly clear: crews are working across a significant portion of one of Hollywood Studios' most recognizable structures.
And the changes have become much easier to spot from inside the park.
Tower of Terror's Facade Looks Different
The biggest development involves scaffolding that has continued moving across the Tower of Terror facade.
According to reports from WDWNT, the scaffolding has expanded forward since July 7, making it increasingly visible to guests looking toward the attraction from Sunset Boulevard.
Additional scaffolding has appeared across the upper center of the facade on the building's right side. The structure now covers the middle section of that side above the balcony walkway.
Although the construction equipment has become considerably more noticeable, it remains away from areas used by guests.
That means visitors can see evidence of the refurbishment without having to navigate directly through the construction zone.
Interestingly, the growing scaffolding hasn't yet revealed exactly what Disney intends to do with this portion of the building.
There have been no clear visible signs showing substantial alterations underneath the equipment. For now, the construction setup itself remains the most obvious change.
However, this refurbishment has been developing for months.
Disney Filed a Permit Before Work Began
The current project traces back to at least March, when Disney filed a construction permit involving Tower of Terror.
By early May, work had reached the attraction's queue.
More changes followed later that month. Flags were removed around the gift shop exit, while scrim appeared over some facade details. Scaffolding was eventually installed on the far-right side of the building above the shop.
Since then, the project has continued growing.
The latest expansion moves the scaffolding farther across the building and makes it more prominent from the front. For an attraction built around such a carefully designed exterior, even temporary construction can dramatically change what guests see when approaching the end of Sunset Boulevard.
That's particularly true at Tower of Terror.
The Hollywood Tower Hotel Is a Hollywood Studios Landmark
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios in July 1994.
For 32 years, the Hollywood Tower Hotel has served as one of the park's most recognizable visual landmarks. Disney positioned the enormous building at the end of Sunset Boulevard, allowing it to dominate the street as guests walk toward it.
Its weathered exterior isn't accidental.
The abandoned appearance helps establish the attraction's story before guests ever enter the building. Once inside, Disney takes riders through an eerie hotel frozen in time before sending them aboard an elevator headed into the Twilight Zone.
That theming has helped Tower of Terror remain one of Disney World's most famous thrill rides even as Hollywood Studios has undergone enormous changes elsewhere.
Now, the attraction itself is receiving some attention.
What Is Disney Changing?
That's the biggest unanswered question surrounding the project.
Disney has not announced plans for a dramatic reimagining of Tower of Terror, and there is currently no indication that the attraction's theme or overall experience is being replaced.
Instead, the known work has involved the queue, gift shop area, facade details, and expanding scaffolding around the exterior.
The March permit also showed that construction was coming before many of these changes appeared.
Exactly what crews are doing behind the scaffolding remains unclear. No major exterior alterations have become visible yet, leaving the final result of the project a mystery.
The expanding construction does, however, show that the work has progressed well beyond the first signs guests noticed this spring.
Tower of Terror Refurbishment Continues
Tower of Terror isn't disappearing behind scaffolding completely, but the construction is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook.
What started with queue work has expanded into a larger exterior project affecting the right side of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Scaffolding now stretches across the middle section of that side and has moved far enough forward to become more visible from Sunset Boulevard.
For now, guests can continue watching the project develop while Disney works on one of Hollywood Studios' oldest major attractions.
Tower of Terror has spent 32 years pretending to be a hotel left untouched for decades.
This time, however, the work happening outside isn't part of the story.
