This scrap of wood was once part of the garage which stood on the property of Robert Disney (uncle to Walt) at 4406 Kingswell Avenue, Los Angeles, California.

When Walt moved to LA from Kansas City in 1923, he roomed with his uncle and built a makeshift studio in the garage, where he continued work on his current animation projects until he landed a contract for his series of “Alice Comedies.” Walt then moved down the street and set up shop in larger quarters–the back of a local real estate office.

The garage itself remained on the property until 1982, when it was purchased and dismantled for preservation by “The Friends of Walt Disney,” a group organized by Mr. Art Adler with the express purpose of saving the structure from demolition. In 1984, the garage was moved to its permanent location at the Garden Grove Historical Society in Anaheim–a stone’s throw from Disneyland.

Throughout the process of relocation, a limited number of wood pieces–not affecting the structural integrity of the garage–broke apart and were collected by Adler to sell as mementos in an effort to help fund the expenses associated with the move.

Accompanying the wood piece and certificate of authenticity is a documentation package that chronicles the garage’s unlikely journey to its new home in Anaheim, including various media excerpts and verification from Dave Smith, head of the Walt Disney Company Archives.

This truly unique artifact represents the humble beginnings of the work…the art…that would change the face of entertainment…and the man…whose backyard dreaming would birth a global empire.