Description: The Cincinnati Zoological Gardens, which opened in 1875, is one of the oldest zoos in the United States. The zoo was originally established on just over sixty-six acres in Blakely Woods. This engraved illustration, which shows a bird's-eye view of the site, appears in Vol. I of "Historical Collections of Ohio," published by Henry Howe in 1907. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04220
Subjects: Zoos; Gardens--Ohio; Plants and Animals; Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Picture of Leo the Lion at Zoo, Cincinnati, Ohio." On September 18, 1875, the Cincinnati Zoological Garden (now known as the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden) opened its doors. The zoo’s collection was very small, originally consisting of just eight monkeys, two grizzly bears, three deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, a hyena, a tiger, an alligator, a circus elephant, and over four hundred birds, including a talking crow. The zoo began earlier in the decade through the efforts of Andrew Erkenbrecher, a German immigrant. Influenced by European zoos, Erkenbrecher and the other trustees planned to place their animals in naturalistic, more rural settings than the menageries of New York or Chicago. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F04_005_001
Subjects: Plants and Animals; Arts and Entertainment; Zoos; Zoo animals; Lions
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Susie the famous Gorilla at zoo, Cincinnati, Ohio." On September 18, 1875, the Cincinnati Zoological Garden (now known as the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden) opened its doors. The zoo’s collection was very small, originally consisting of just eight monkeys, two grizzly bears, three deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, a hyena, a tiger, an alligator, a circus elephant, and over four hundred birds, including a talking crow. The zoo began earlier in the decade through the efforts of Andrew Erkenbrecher, a German immigrant. Influenced by European zoos, Erkenbrecher and the other trustees planned to place their animals in naturalistic, more rural settings than the menageries of New York or Chicago. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F04_006_001
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; Plants and Animals; Zoos; Gorillas
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing two lion cubs at the Columbus Zoo. The description on the back of the photograph reads: "Tom & Jerry, zoo's Lion cubs." The photograph belongs to the Columbus Citizen-Journal Photograph Collection. Opened in 1927 as the Columbus Zoological Park, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is now considered one of the top zoos in the nation. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P339_B17_002_01
Subjects: Zoos; Animals; Newspapers
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio);
 

Description: This photograph shows a group of school-age boys and girls looking at an Indian elephant at the Toledo Zoo. Three boys are looking back at the camera; the rest of the children are turned toward the caged elephant. The children are wearing jackets and sweaters, indicating that the weather likely was cool on the day of their visit. A printed sign posted on a column next to the cage gives background information about the elephant, who was donated to "the people of Toledo in 1923 by Sam Davis." The Toledo Zoo began in 1900, and some of the original buildings, built by the Works Project Administration, are still in use today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06169
Subjects: Zoos; Toledo (Ohio); Animals; Toledo Zoo (Toledo, Ohio)
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph is a view of the Toledo Zoo’s amphitheater, one of several buildings constructed at the zoo between 1934 and 1937 under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration. The amphitheater was dedicated in 1936. In this photograph, musicians are seated on chairs in front of the stage, and a conductor is standing on a raised platform in the middle of the group. The orchestra is practicing for a Toledo Civic Light Opera Production. Professional light opera productions were held at this amphitheater from 1939 to 1947. A few people are seen standing on the stage, which has scenery in place, and walking or sitting on the grounds in front of the musicians. A small cluster of people are visible in the raked seating area. Stage lighting sits atop a metal tower in the foreground. The amphitheater's architecture resembles the Mission Revival style, with curved lines, copper dome towers, and tile roof. Like other WPA-era buildings at the zoo, the amphitheater incorporated materials from demolished structures in the area: stone, wood, timber, and copper. The large stone blocks bordering the huge arch are from locks of the former Miami and Erie Canal. The other buildings erected by the WPA are the zoo's aquarium, reptile house, museum, and aviary. All of the WPA buildings, including the amphitheater, are still in use. The Toledo Zoo was founded in 1900. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06170
Subjects: Toledo Zoo (Toledo, Ohio); Amphitheaters; Zoos; Toledo (Ohio); Animals
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the Museum of Science building at the Toledo Zoo, Toledo, Ohio. The photograph was taken on November 1, 1937. A group of women and children are standing in front of the building's entrance. Since its dedication in 1936, the Museum of Science has functioned as an educational center within the zoo. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed several buildings at the zoo between 1934-1937. They include the museum, aquarium, reptile house, amphitheater, and aviary. The buildings mostly incorporated materials from demolished structures in the area: stone, brick, wood, timber, and copper. The Art Deco architecture shows Spanish and Moorish influence through such details as tiled roof, arches, and decorative elements. All of the WPA buildings, including the amphitheater, are still in use. The Toledo Zoo was founded in 1900. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06202
Subjects: Science and Technology; Zoos; Museums; Toledo (Ohio); Education; Art Deco
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Cincinnati Zoo is the second oldest zoo in the United States, having opened in 1875, and is located in the Avondale community. Initially occupying 65 acres, surrounding blocks and areas in nearby suburbs have been added to zoo property. Founded by Cincinnati native Jonathan Schoonover and designed by Theodor Fundeisen, it was originally named the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens. The largest exhibit of the zoo was it's collection of birds, with over four hundred. The rest of the collection was small, having only eight monkeys, two bear, three deer, six racoons, two elk, and one each of buffalo, hyena, tiger, alligator and elephant. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F05_016_001
Subjects: Zoos--Ohio; Zoo exhibits--Ohio; Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image of polar bears at the Toledo Zoo was taken in July 1968. The Toledo Zoological Gardens was created in 1900, when a woodchuck was donated to the Toledo Parks Board. By 1999, the zoo had grown to include the first-ever Hippoquarium and exhibits focusing on the African Savanna and the Kingdom of the Apes. In 1999, the zoo attracted more than a million visitors. The slide measures 2" x 2" (5.08 x 5.08 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3056_3656326_004
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; Plants and Animals; Zoos; Bears
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three slides showing visitors to the Toledo Zoo were taken in July 1968. The first photograph shows a group of visitors feeding goats. A man and child playing with a wagon are in the second photograph, while the third photograph shows zoo staff presenting reptiles to visitors. The slides measure 2" x 2" (5.08 x 5.08 cm). The Toledo Zoological Gardens was created in 1900, when a woodchuck was donated to the Toledo Parks Board. By 1999, the zoo had grown to include the first-ever Hippoquarium and exhibits focusing on the African Savanna and the Kingdom of the Apes. In 1999, the zoo attracted more than a million visitors. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3056_3656332_001
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; Plants and Animals; Zoos; Goats; Carts & wagons; Reptiles; Snakes
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1939, this photograph shows the barless grottoes at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden in Cincinnati, Ohio. The photograph's caption reads "Modern Barless Grottoes where animals roam in surroundings similar to the African Veldt." The alternate caption reads "In these naturalistic, barless enclosures of the most modern design, roam the lions, tigers, and bears of the Cincinnati Zoological Garden, a municipal enterprise. The Zoo, on Vine Street at Erkenbrecher Avenue, is open the year round, and the animals are on display at all times. Admission: adults, 25 cents: children under twelve, 15 cents." This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F09_009_1
Subjects: Zoos--Ohio; Public spaces--Ohio; Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: These photographs of a staff member bottle-feeding a young orangutan at the Toledo Zoo were taken in July 1968. The Toledo Zoological Gardens was created in 1900, when a woodchuck was donated to the Toledo Parks Board. By 1999, the zoo had grown to include the first-ever Hippoquarium and exhibits focusing on the African Savanna and the Kingdom of the Apes. In 1999, the zoo attracted more than a million visitors. The slides measure 2" x 2" (5.08 x 5.08 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3056_3659973_005
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; Plants and Animals; Zoos; Orangutans; Apes
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)