Walt Disney’s original studio, the Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri is hoping to begin a $7 million renovation project in 2023. The non-profit, Thank You Walt Disney Inc. is working to renovate the property that was a part of the early career of Walt Disney. The property, found on Troost Avenue, has been under the care of Thank You Walt Disney Inc. since 1996.
The non-profit is hoping that the Missouri Development Finance Board will vote on a $500,000 state tax credit application that was submitted. The nonprofit hopes that this will be part of the support for the $7 million rehabilitation of the Laugh-O-Gram building. It is found at 1127 E. 31st St, just off Troost Avenue. The board was presented with information earlier this week on the project. This comes after the city applied for the tax credits on the volunteer group’s behalf in November.
The building is two stories and 10,000 square feet. It was where Walt Disney started the Laugh-O-Gram Studio in 1922. In 1922, with animator Ub Iwerks, the idea was conceived for what would eventually Mickey Mouse. Since 1996, Thank You Walt Disney Inc. has been working to save this building and the legacy of Walt Disney in Kansas City. The organization hopes to “completely restore the building and equip it for its new purpose: to tell the story of Walt’s Kansas City animation legacy and as an inspirational center for innovation in digital media entrepreneurship and education.”
More information about this movie can be found at thankyouwaltdisney.org.
