The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE"

Monday, May 13, 2013

Ghost Zoo--Riverdale Park Toronto, Canad

Toronto Then and Now: # 3 ~ Riverdale Zoo and Farm, Then and No

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Ghost Zoo--Point Defiance Park Tacoma, Washington

The Board of Park Commissioners approved $2,200 to build a residence in Point Defiance Park in 1898 for Superintendent Ebenezer Rhys Roberts, referred to as the Keeper's Lodge.

Designed by noted Tacoma architect C.A. Darmer, the residence permitted Roberts and his family to live in the park, where he could more easily tend the gardens, feed the zoo animals, and provide general park security.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Ghost Zoo--Silver Lake Park, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 1908

At it’s height Silver Lake Amusement Park was referred to as the “Coney Island of the West.” It included: the largest “open floor” dance pavilion in Ohio, swimming beach with bath house and giant water slide, a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, concessions, and cottages. A miniature railroad offered tours around the park and a steam ship gave excursions around the lake. The park also included a “menagerie” (small zoo) and aquarium. Closed in 1917

Ghost Zoo--Irving Park Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 1910

Chippewa Falls businessman William Irvine, his firm, the Chippewa Lumber and Boom Company and L.C. Stanley, established Irvine Park in 1906 through the donation of 165 acres of land.

Construction of the bear pen in 1909 marked the beginning of the Irvine Park Zoo. The cougar and bobcat cages were built in 1971.
The size of Irvine Park and the number of facilities within have grown through the years as a result of many generous donations.

The Park is also home to buffalo, elk, whitetail deer, and monkeys. Irvine Park has grown to 318 acres and has been a recreational resource of pride for Chippewa Valley residents for generations.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Tusko

The Cascadia Courier: Tusko the elephant and other sadness

Tusko the elephant rampages through Sedro-Woolley on - HistoryLink

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Herbivora Building/Elephant House Cincinnati Zoo

1921

2010

The "Elephant House" was built in 1906 and designed by James W. McLaughlin. It is the world's largest complete-concrete animal building of it's kind. It is 100 ft long, 70 ft wide, and 70 ft tall.

Cincinnati Zoo 1920

Cincinnati Zoo

Cincinnati Zoological Gardens 1875

Cincinnati Zoo opening lithograph by Krebs Lithographic Company

Monday, April 8, 2013

Cincinnati Zoo's Historic Monkey/Reptile House

Two wonderful photographs of Cincinnati Zoo's Reptile House and "Monkey Island." The top photo was taken in 2010 and the photo below was taken in 1929 almost from the same spot. Say what you will, and yes, many did leave a lot to be desired, but what individual character old zoo structures and exhibits had!!!!!!

Cincinnati Zoo’s Historic Reptile House Make-Over Complete

2009

2011

Interior

2011

2012

March 15, 2013 The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden reopens its historic Reptile House this Saturday after a two-month interior renovation this winter to restore its original look, but with modifications made to meet the Zoo’s green initiatives. Built in 1875, the Reptile House is the oldest zoo building in the country and one of three buildings at the Cincinnati Zoo listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The Cincinnati Zoo takes its role as a historical Cincinnati landmark very seriously and we work hard every day to make sure we’re keeping up with an aging facility,” said Mark Fisher, Senior Director of Facilities and Sustainability at the Cincinnati Zoo. “By reinvesting back into the maintenance of our buildings, we can ensure that iconic structures, like the Reptile House, will be around for generations of Zoo goers for the next century.”
Although the Reptile house has gone through many renovations since first being built, it has remained very similar to its original structure. The first part of the renovations, completed in the Spring of 2012, replaced the old roof with a new architecturally appropriate and sustainable roof which includes covering, skylights, gutters and downspouts to help with the Zoo’s storm water management. The exterior walls were cleaned and the cracks were repaired and sealed. All the damaged doors and windows were repaired and insulated glass along with a weather strip was installed to protect the interior of the building during the winter and summer.

Visitors will immediately notice the interior renovations upon entering the building. A new coat of paint was applied to all surfaces in the building and the floor was carpeted to give it a fresh look and to help reduce the noise level. In the inner dome, plaster work was repaired and paint was removed from the glass and oculus to expose the original wood. Several aspects of the electrical system, such as the HVAC, were repaired to help improve the sustainability of the building. The work done on the interior of the building returned the building to its original 1875 design as well as modified it for current times.

In 2011, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden was one of the recipients of the “Save America’s Treasure Grant” from the National Park Services. The Cincinnati Zoo was the only grant recipient in Ohio and one of only 61 recipients in the country from a total of 338 applications that the National Park Service received. The Zoo’s Reptile house was granted $408,886 to use in renovating and updating the house. Renovation began in the fall of 2011 and finished with the interior renovation conducted this winter.

Does a Zoo’s Endangered Species List Include Buildings?

As many North American zoos reach their 75 or 100 year birthdays—they are left to grapple with aging buildings. Some subscribe to the philosophy “plow and start over,” while others are restoring historic architecture.

Writing the article “Does a Zoo’s Endangered Species List Include Buildings? for a national magazine, Legacy, gave me a chance to interview experts from around the country. As a zoo historian myself, charged with restoring a 1935 WPA bathhouse as the site of the zoo’s museum (coming Spring 2011), writing on this topic was both fun and heart wrenching.
I celebrated with zoos that have experienced success and visitor approval by saving nostalgic buildings. I also sympathized with zoos striving to improve both animal care and visitor “entertainment” value by replacing outdated facilities to create flashy, new, state-of-the art exhibits.
Rarely am I challenged to present both sides of a controversial story in an unbiased way. I’m not entirely sure I succeeded (I leave that up to you). However, I’m proud of my efforts, since I am strongly inclined to preserve historical architecture.

I feel that this is a unique topic that is going to gain interest as more zoos face the question, “Are zoos responsible for animals and history?”
Note: I’ve included this story in 2 formats. The first one includes beautiful architectural photographs not included in the online version.

Does a Zoo Endangered Species List Include Buildings?

http://onlinelegacy.org/2010/07/does-a-zoo%e2%80%99s-endangered-species-list-include-buildings/