We talk a lot about the office of the future, and it’s instructive every once in a while, to take a look at the office of the past, or at least an office of the past. 

That’s what’s happening at the Walt Disney Studios in California,  highlighted in an article by Fast Company. The company has restored the office that was occupied by Walt Disney himself, from 1940-1966. Prior to the restoration the office had been used by former CEO Michael Eisner, singer Shaun Cassidy and producer Marc Cherry.  

"You enter, as any visitor would, through the secretary’s office, where gatekeepers kept his schedule, ensuring that only invited guests saw Walt. A cabinet along the wall houses a collection of Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and more. On the small desk, where Walt’s assistant Thelma “Tommie” Wilck sat, the schedule book is open to October 27, 1966. “Epcot” is listed as the first thing on the agenda. Two not-very-comfortable-looking chairs are set against the wall. And ashtrays are omnipresent.”

"When you enter Walt’s formal office, it’s smaller than you would expect for the head of a studio, though hardly tiny. There’s a white couch against the back wall, over which hangs the mechanical toy bird Walt picked up in New Orleans that became the inspiration for audio-animatronics, which would ultimately differentiate the theme parks. On the glass table in front of the couch, along with ashtrays, is a souvenir booklet from the Banshee Club in NYC, for a 1947 luncheon given to Disney to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Mickey Mouse.”

More details are listed in the article and they’re fun to read. No mention of whether he had wifi.