Disney Exec To Run Pro Football Hall Of Fame Expansion

The executive who ran Disney’s Shanghai theme park was named chief executive officer of the ambitious project to re-invent the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Ohio as a tourist destination.

Mike Crawford, most recently global president of portfolio management for Four Seasons Hotels, will head development of the $889 million Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio.

The project is a partnership between the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Industrial Realty Group. Johnson Controls, a global diversified technology and multi-industrial group, signed an 18-year partnership with Hall of Fame Village in 2016 worth $100 million to spearhead the development.

The plan is to create the first-ever sports and entertainment Smart City featuring 10 major components integrated through technology, including Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Experience, an  indoor amusement park for featuring a massive football-themed waterpark.