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: 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)