- The Realm of Life
- The Realm of the Cell
- The Realm of the Deep
- The Realm of the Stars
- The Realm of Man
- The Realm of the Particle
- The Realm of Time
Each Realm was represented by its own distinctive OmnIcon, and was a complete world unto itself: the environment, shops, restaurants, souvenirs, staff members and every other detail were internally consistent.
At the center of the Seven Realms stood the OmniColor Fountain, which put on shows several times a day. Prior to the construction of the Fountain, this central area was known as the Realm Between the Realms, and contained a private pavilion that served as an exclusive entertainment and lounge area for VIP park guests.
Visitors entered OmniPark through the Entryway Pavilion — a towering white building often likened to a cathedral.
OmniPark's 1996 guidemap (rare misprint featuring the 1986 OmniPark logo)
History
OmniPark's original Entryway Pavilion, circa 1977
OmniPark was founded by Dalton M. Teague, a Texas oil billionaire who held advanced degrees in engineering and biology. In a 1979 interview with Life Magazine, Teague attributed his original idea for the park to his own wide-ranging scientific interests, as well as to his realization that "California has its Disneyland and Florida has its EPCOT Center — so why shouldn't the great state of Texas have her own world-class theme park?"
Using his own private funds, Teague purchased 120 acres of farmland near Odessa, Texas (for an undisclosed sum) in May 1974. He then hired a core team of "Technosophers" including engineers Harry Peale and Roger Clarendon, designers Beth Bachmeier and Elijah Shattuck, science fiction writer Chuck Walcott, and storyboard artists Denise Olivetti and Yamasato Masaru.
By spring of 1975, Teague and his team had completed a series of storyboards, architectural blueprints and animatronic designs, through which they secured at least $500 million in investment capital from a variety of public and private sources (several of which have never been disclosed[citation needed]). Through a combination of this capital and Teague family funds, construction on OmniPark began in February of 1975.
1975 concept art for OmniPark's Entryway Pavilion
The park's official grand opening was May 19, 1977, and initial attendance was disappointing — a fact Teague blamed on The park's location in West Texas, far from any other tourist destination. In response, Teague invested heavily in a nationwide advertising campaign; and the city of Odessa offered financial incentives to entrepreneurs who founded hotels, restaurants and other tourism-oriented businesses near the park.
Over the next several seasons, a thriving community began to develop in the surrounding area; and by March 1978, OmniPark was hosting upwards of 35,000 guests per day [citation needed]. The park remained one of the Southwest's most popular tourist destinations for the next 25 years, until its official closing in August 2003.
The Seven Realms
