Disney World Covers up Three Decades of History on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Nearly every inch of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’s exterior is hidden from view, as Walt Disney World Resort pushes deeper into a refurbishment that’s slowly reshaping one of Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ most recognizable landmarks.
Decades-Old Facade, Now Under Wraps
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror refurbishment began quietly in early May, starting with work on portions of the ride’s queue. Once that stage finished, attention turned to the building itself, with scaffolding and protective scrim first appearing above the gift shop entrance.
By early July, the scaffolding had started creeping around the structure — moving from the right side of the building, across the front, and up toward the towering Hollywood Tower Hotel sign that has defined the park’s skyline for over 30 years. The work seems to focus on repainting the facade, with brighter patches of pink paint showing up in spots that haven’t yet received the attraction’s trademark distressed, aged finish.
The Most Covered the Tower Has Been Thus Far
As of Disney Dining’s last report on August 10, construction had already made significant progress toward the top of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror facade. Now, it’s gone even further, with scaffolding stretching across every visible side of the building.
X (formerly known as Twitter) user @laughingplace documented the extent of the scaffolding on August 20, sharing four photos alongside the caption:
The Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is almost fully covered with scaffolding. #waltdisneyworld
The Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is almost fully covered with scaffolding. #waltdisneyworld pic.twitter.com/U2UQR4fG94
— LaughingPlace.com (@laughingplace) August 20, 2026
The images show that the right-side elevator shaft remains uncovered, but equipment appears to block part of the view from the windows on the left-side shaft — the ones that swing open mid-drop for riders on that side of the elevator.
Still Dropping In…For Now
Even with scaffolding masking so much of its exterior, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror hasn’t missed a beat operationally. Walt Disney World Resort has not indicated that the ride will close at any point during the refurbishment, meaning guests can continue riding while the decades-old facade gets a makeover.
Has an attraction refurbishment ever impacted your visit to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Tell Disney Dining about your experience in the comments!
