Como Park Zoo and Conservatory

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Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory-2006.jpg
The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Type Urban park
Location Saint Paul, Minnesota
Coordinates 44°58′53″N93°09′03″W / 44.981397°N 93.150807°W / 44.981397; -93.150807
Area759 acres (307 ha)
Created1873
Visitors1.9 million [1]
StatusOpen all year
Public transit access Bus-logo.svg Metro Transit
Website https://comozooconservatory.org

The Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (or just Como Zoo and Conservatory) are located in Como Park at 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The park, zoo and conservatory are owned by the City of Saint Paul and are a division of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. Its attractions include the zoo, the conservatory, an amusement park, a carousel, Lake Como, a golf course, a pool and more. The park receives more than 1.9 million visitors annually. [2] Como Park is a free park and while no admission fee is charged for the zoo or conservatory, voluntary donations of $4 per adult and $2 child are suggested. [3]

Contents

Como Park

Como Park, c. 1900
(The Gates Ajar) Gates Ajar, Como Park, St. Paul, Minn (NYPL b12647398-68047).tiff
Como Park, c. 1900
(The Gates Ajar)
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Como Lake and Park, St. Paul, Minnesota,

In 1873 the City of Saint Paul acquired 300 acres (120 ha) of land around Como Lake that would become a public park. Today the 384-acre (155 ha) park includes:

Art and historic structures

Saint Paul Winter Carnival

In 1939 Lake Como hosted the Winter Carnival Ice Palace and the Winter Carnival Medallion has been hidden in Como Park eight times (1956, 1965, 1980, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2003, and 2014).

Como Zoo

1936 Zoological Building 1936ComoZoo.JPG
1936 Zoological Building
Polar Bears, Buzz and Neil in 2020, part of the Polar Bear Odyssey exhibit Polar bears at Como Zoo in St Paul, Minnesota copy.jpg
Polar Bears, Buzz and Neil in 2020, part of the Polar Bear Odyssey exhibit

The first zoo in Saint Paul was started when in 1897, the city of St. Paul received a gift of three deer. Additional animals followed, when more room was needed to house the animals they were moved to facilities at Como Park. Como Zoo continued to grow through donations of animals and money.

The Art Deco Zoological Building was designed in 1936 by Charles Bassford [14] as part of the federally funded Works Progress Administration. Other WPA structures were completed in the 1930s, including Monkey Island, barn and bear grotto.

In the 1980s several new exhibits were added as part of a major renovation project, including the Large Cat exhibit (1980), Aquatic Animal Building and conversion of Monkey Island to Seal Island (1982), the Primate Facility (1985), the Land and Water Bird exhibit (1986) and the African Hoofed Stock Facility (1987).

Art at Como Zoo

A new Polar bear exhibit was finished in 2010. The two twin Polar bear brothers (Buzz and Neil) returned from their temporary stay in Canada. The exhibit includes a shallow and deep pool plus a middle room. It also has a back room where the Polar bears can choose to stay in the AC. A new seal and sea lion exhibit with two pools was completed in 2021.

Casey the Gorilla

On May 13, 1994, Casey a 400-pound gorilla, scaled the wall of his enclosure and wandered free around the zoo for 45 minutes. Visitors were ushered to safety as zoo staff shot Casey with a tranquilizer and returned him to his enclosure. This resulted in the zoo building a temporary slanted wall around the enclosure to keep this from happening again and the zoo is planning on building a new area for the gorillas making it safer and impossible to escape from. The zoo opened a new exhibit in 2013 called Gorilla Forest. Casey was moved to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. [24]

Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

Como Park Conservatory
Como Conservatory Sunken Garden.JPG
The sunken garden in the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory
LocationComo Park
St. Paul, Minnesota
Built1913
ArchitectFrederick Nussbaumer
NRHP reference No. 74001033
Added to NRHPNovember 19, 1974

The 0.5-acre (2,000 m2) Marjorie McNeely Conservatory was first opened to the public in November 1915. This facility is open to the public every day of the year. It includes the following gardens and galleries:

The conservatory was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.


Art at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

See also

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