This article is about the original Church Street entertainment district that opened in 1971. October 1971 saw the grand opening of Walt Disney World. Much of downtown Orlando at that time was run down and unattractive, especially the area along Church Street west of Orange Avenue.
An imaginative entrepreneur named Bob Snow took one long look at the run down area and had the vision to see it as a downtown entertainment complex.
Church Street Station became widely known around the USA as a place to visit in addition to the big theme parks.