After several months of development, the Disney History Institute is proud to announce the first of our downloadable digital recreations –  Project: Fair Winds.

Project: Fair Winds recreates a long-gone, centerpiece icon from Walt Disney’s efforts at the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York, the Tower of the Four Winds.  Initially designed by Disney legend, Rolly Crump, the Tower of the Four Winds was a marquee sculpture designed as the visual marker for it’s a small world, a robust mobile that rose high above most of the Fair.  Though the Tower of the Four Winds was dismantled over 50 years ago, through this 3D digital recreation, you can sample the wonder of Rolly Crump’s unique creation again.

All three versions of Project: Fair Winds include generous narration by Rolly Crump himself in which he explains his designs, his work with Walt, and the ultimate fate of the Tower.  Along with the narration, the downloadable file includes photographic images from Bill Cotter’s immense collection of World’s Fair imagery, detailing the Tower from its construction to its demise.

So take a stroll back to 1964, to the center point of world creative activity, the legendary New York World’s Fair.  Move around the Tower in real time.  Examine the spinning pinwheels and carousel cutouts, all of them true to Rolly Crump’s original designs.  Project: Fair Winds is presently available in three formats, including an enhanced version for virtual reality (VR) headsets.

• Project: Fair Winds 32-bit for Most PC Users
  • This version is aimed for PC users who do not have VR headsets, running an OS or CPU that is 32-bit.
  • Download Link:  Project Fair Winds 32-bit
  • MD5 Checksum: 176E449D6E7754AABC8ED4B1E9B6852E
• Project: Fair Winds 64-bit
  • This version is aimed toward PC users who want to engage an Oculus Rift VR headset in viewing the tower.
  • Download Link:  Project Fair Winds 64-bit
  • MD5 Checksum: 50DF225DA035F99F38AE4DAC4A179045
• Project: Fair Winds OSX 
  • This experimental build is aimed for Mac OSX users. Though the OSX build is still in a test-and-adjust phase, you are welcome to try it out–though the OSX environment is not as reliable as that of the PC built.  We expect to upload an improved OSX version in the coming weeks.
  • Download Link:  Project Fairwinds OSX
  • MD5 Checksum: C68B6B6095D5127C19B311F9A6E062D4
• Project: Fair Winds HTC Vive is not yet supported, though we hope to do so with future builds

The controls to move are:

• “W” for forward
• “S” for back
• “A” to move left
• “D” to move right
• The mouse lets you look around.
• You can use the XBox controller for the Oculus HDM.

Beyond the digital recreation, you can learn more about the Tower of the Four Winds, through the DHI articles linked below.

Meet me Under the Tower of the Four Winds

The creation of Project: Fair Winds

1964 NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR THANKS

So download the version that’s right for your computer and enjoy your journey into the past, as DHI uses technology to overcome the limitations of time!