Building the Washington Park Zoo ~ 1892-1927

Image of Animal House

1925
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During this period of time, the original Monkey Island was built at the Zoo.  Also in 1925, Washington Park Zoo constructed the finest antelope house in the world at the cost of $41,648.  It allowed for visitors to view antelope year-round.  The house resembled a Swiss chalet and contained 14 large exhibition stalls, with connecting outside enclosures of chain link construction.  The floors were designed for safe footing for hoofed animals with six inches of cinder and four inches of coarse gravel.  The house also contained special stalls to accommodate the impending arrival of giraffes.  Another innovative feature was the installation of concrete drinking basins with automatic valves.  The Washington Park Zoo was constructed so that heated hallways joined its three principal buildings: Primate, Lion and Aviary. This allowed visitors to escape the winter weather.  The Aviary and Lion House were exact architectural replicas of each other for uniform design.