The Philadelphia Zoo turned 150. Here’s what it was like when it opened.
Today celebrates 150 years since the zoo opened. Its history dates goes back to editions of The Inquirer that date the 1870s and was a time of excitement for many in the city.
The Philadelphia Zoo turns 150 today, and The Inquirer was there from the very beginning
Take a look at what went into the zoo’s development and creation, and its opening day through the lens of past Inquirer editions.
Before the zoo opened
The Philadelphia Zoo was first mentioned hot off the press in 1872. The Zoological Society of Philadelphia held a meeting on June 27, 1872, to discuss its “movement to establish a zoological garden” housing a collection of rare animals, according to a June 28, 1872 edition of The Inquirer.
During the meeting, the society considered how much money the collection needed, what could be raised through private donations within the society, as well as how to ask for assistance from the public. The society aimed to gather animals from across the globe, but had a vested interest in preserving nature located within the United States. The society knew that if it could successfully do all of this, it could open the nation’s first zoo.
At the time, the zoo had already been offered animals from the Western states that would “astonish our people as to the extent of the animals indigenous to this country,” including bison, buffalo, prairie dogs, and more. Additionally, The Inquirer reported, “everybody has seen the well-known elephant, tiger and other beasts,” but many never had the chance to see what animals grazed and burrowed the Great Plains, swam the waters of the Colorado River, or lived at the peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
Almost a year later, The Inquirer featured its first classified ad for the Zoological Society of Philadelphia, originally asking for at least $50 from potential patrons.
The asking price for a membership would eventually change to $5 before the society’s next election, guaranteeing admission. Members could also pay $50 for a lifetime membership. Today’s membership fee is $65 for an individual, $95 for a dual membership, and $165 for a family.
The classifieds ran from June 21 to Nov., 21, 1873, and during that span, the Philadelphia Zoo had its proposals granted, contracts awarded, and lease certified, and the dreams of the park started to crystallize, according to August and October editions of The Inquirer. On April 23, 1874, the Zoological Society of Philadelphia held its last meeting before the zoo’s opening and voted on its officers for the year.
During May and June, several U.S. congressional deliberations took place to discuss if the zoo would be allowed to import animals. The bill passed. Just one month later, the zoo was scheduled to open.
The Philadelphia Zoo finally opens to the public
On July 1, 1874, the Philadelphia Zoo opened to the public at 10 a.m. It’s officially called the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens but The Inquirer started referring it as just the Philadelphia Zoo as early as 1879.
The Inquirer described the zoo as “one of the most attractive features of our magnificent [Fairmount] Park and of our city.” At the time, the zoo featured an extensive list of animals, including beavers, buffaloes, bears, monkey, sloths, as well as 674 birds, and 15 reptiles. It was also the first zoo in the world to have an exhibit dedicated to prairie dogs, according to The Inquirer.
On its opening day, an orchestra gave three performances, meanwhile “little ones” were amused by the animals throughout the day, according to the July 2 edition of The Inquirer. Visitors were also intrigued by the “new and handsome Girard Avenue bridge,” but park guards didn’t allow patrons to cross.
Thus, the first zoo in the United States opened.