Como Zoo and Conservatory
Encyclopedia
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. The attractions located there 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. Como Park is a free park and while no admission fee is charged for the zoo or conservatory, voluntary donations of $2 per adult and $1 child are suggested.
of paved trails
Ice Palace and the Winter Carnival Medallion has been hidden in Como Park seven times (1956, 1965, 1980, 1990, 1997, 2001 and 2003).
The first zoo in Saint Paul was on Harriet Island 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 http://www.rchs.com/neighborhoods/como_neighborhood.htm as part of the federally funded Works Progress Administration
. Other WPA structures were completed in the 1930s, including Monkey Island (now Seal 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).
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. Visitors are unable to see the bears as this time.
in New Orleans
.
The conservatory was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The park, zoo and conservatory are owned by the City of Saint Paul and are a division of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. The attractions located there include the zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, the conservatory
Conservatory (greenhouse)
A conservatory is a room having glass roof and walls, typically attached to a house on only one side, used as a greenhouse or a sunroom...
, an amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
, a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
, Lake Como
Lake Como (Minnesota)
Como Lake is a lake up to deep in St. Paul, Minnesota. It, along with the neighboring Como Park, has been a recreation area for residents of the Twin Cities for more than a century. It was named in 1848 by local farmer Charles Perry. A pavilion sits on the west side of the lake, and plays host...
, a golf course, a pool and more. The park receives more than 1.9 million visitors annually. Como Park is a free park and while no admission fee is charged for the zoo or conservatory, voluntary donations of $2 per adult and $1 child are suggested.
Como Park
In 1873 the City of Saint Paul acquired 300 acres (121.4 ha) of land around Como Lake that would become a public park. Today the 384 acres (155.4 ha) park includes:of paved trails
- Athletic fields
- Como Golf Course - 18 hole, 70 par
- Como Lake
- 1.67 mile paved path around the lake
- Fishing Pier
- Lakeside Pavilion - includes Black Bear Crossings restaurant
- Paddleboat rentals
- Como Pool
- Como Town amusement park
- Picnic shelters
- Putt'er There Mini Golf
Art/Sculptures/Historic Structures in Como Park
- Bridge No. L-5853 - Abandoned pedestrian bridge over former street car tracks, built in 1904 and engineered by William S. HewettWilliam S. HewettWilliam S. Hewett was a major bridge contractor in the Minneapolis area from the 1890s until well into the 20th century. His firm designed and built a number of bridges for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company when it was electrifying and expanding its system around the turn of the 20th...
. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It is significant for being one of the oldest examples of a reinforced concrete bridge. - Bridge No. 92247 - Lexington Avenue Bridge - Also built in 1904 and engineered by William S. HewettWilliam S. HewettWilliam S. Hewett was a major bridge contractor in the Minneapolis area from the 1890s until well into the 20th century. His firm designed and built a number of bridges for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company when it was electrifying and expanding its system around the turn of the 20th...
, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It's significant for being one of the oldest examples of a reinforced concrete bridge and because it is wider than it is long. - Cafesjian's Carousel
- Comfort Station - Prairie style restrooms located in the West Picnic Grounds that were completed in 1917 and restored in 1998.
- Constructing Friendship - A sculpture by Michael Sinesio created in 2006 as a part of the Minnesota Rocks! International Stone Carving Symposium. It's located at the west entrance to the park.
- Frog Pond - Completed in 1910, the overlook has a pergola that was donated in 1929. The granite frog, from which the pond gets its name, is from 1923.
- Gates Ajar - Originally installed in 1894. The iron gates were installed on the structure sometime later during the depression by Chief City Blacksmith, Walter Cronk. Being refurbished in 2007.
- Global Harmony Labyrinth - Dedicated in 2005, it celebrates the Sister City relationship between Saint Paul and Nagasaki, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. (read about the construction of the labyrinth) - Granite Frog - Located in the middle of Frog Pond directly south of the conservatory, last remaining component of the original Japanese garden.
- Hamms Memorial Waterfall
- Henrik Ibsen - Bust of Norwegian playwright Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
, created by Norwegian-born artist Jacob Fjelde and given to the city in 1907 by a Norwegian fraternal organization. The bust was stolen in 1982 and replaced in the late 1990s. ("Oh, Henrik!" City Pages, October 21, 1998) - Historic Street Car Station - A station for the Twin City Rapid Transit CompanyTwin City Rapid TransitThe Twin City Rapid Transit Company , also known as Twin City Lines , was a transportation company that operated streetcars, and buses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota...
and the Como-Harriet line. - Joyce Kilmer Memorial Fireplace - The large stone fireplace was erected in 1936 in memory of poet Joyce KilmerJoyce KilmerAlfred Joyce Kilmer was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer is remembered most for a short poem entitled "Trees" , which was published in...
. For years, the fireplace was in a state of disrepair, but in 2011 it was refurbished and rededicated. - Lakeside Pavilion - The current building was constructed in 1992 as an exact replica of the original 1905 building.
- Lily Pond - Originally built in 1895 and known as the Aquarium, the pond featured exotic lily pads. While the lily pads returned to Como Park at the conservatory in 2005, the original pond has been dry and unused for some time.
- Mannheimer Memorial - Designed in 1905-1906 by Cass GilbertCass Gilbert- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
, who also designed the Minnesota State CapitolMinnesota State CapitolThe Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor...
building. - Paisley Perch - Another Minnesota Rocks! sculpture created in 2006, this bench-shaped creation is by Peter Morales. It's located at the southern corner of the park off Lexington Avenue, next to the ball fields.
- Points of Compass - A life-size sundial designed and constructed by Superintendent of Parks George Nason in the 1930s.
- Schiller Statue - Bronze figure of Johann von Schiller with a granite base by artist Ignatium Taschner, dedicated in 1907.
- Schiffman Fountain
- Submariner's Memorial - Dedicated in 1965 as a memorial to the lost crew of the USS SwordfishUSS Swordfish (SS-193)USS Swordfish , a Sargo-class submarine, was the first submarine of the United States Navy named for the swordfish, a large fish with a long, swordlike beak and a high dorsal fin...
.
Saint Paul Winter Carnival at Como Park
In 1939 Lake Como hosted the Winter CarnivalSaint Paul Winter Carnival
In 1885, a New York reporter wrote that Saint Paul was "another Siberia, unfit for human habitation" in winter. Offended by this attack on their Capital City, the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce decided to not only prove that Saint Paul was habitable but that its citizens were very much alive during...
Ice Palace and the Winter Carnival Medallion has been hidden in Como Park seven times (1956, 1965, 1980, 1990, 1997, 2001 and 2003).
Como Zoo
The Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Zoological Building was designed in 1936 by Charles Bassford http://www.rchs.com/neighborhoods/como_neighborhood.htm as part of the federally funded Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
. Other WPA structures were completed in the 1930s, including Monkey Island (now Seal 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
- Don the Gorilla - Bronze and stone statue of a popular gorilla named Don donated by artist Betty Sievert in 1982. Located outside the primate house.
- Giraffes - Fiberglass giraffes created by Third Street Studios and donated in memory of Sandra Kay Bjick in 1994. Located near the giraffe exhibit.
- Polar Bears - Fiberglass polar bears created by Third Street Studios. Located near the polar bear exhibit.
- Sparky - Fiberglass sculpture of 'Sparky' the sea lion who performs entertaining shows at Como Zoo. Created by Third Street Studios in 1997 in celebration of the zoo's centennial. Located near the Sparky Amphitheater.
- Toby the Tortoise - Bronze sculpture of the popular tortoise named Toby. Create by the artist Tischler. Located in front of the Zoological building in the Como Park Zoo Donor Plaza.
- Penguins - Fiberglass sculpture of penguins.
- Earth Day Mural - Created by Teresa Cox on April 22, 2000 with help from zoo visitors.
- Family - A set of three abstract, wire-frame sculptures created by Russell Erickson in 1978. The sculpture stood in front of the FDA building in Minneapolis until 2004 when the building was demolished and the sculpture eventually moved to the Como Zoo as a temporary measure. As of 2009 it's still located in a grassy picnic area across from Seal Island.
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. Visitors are unable to see the bears as this time.
Casey the Gorilla
On May 13, 1994 Casey the gorilla, 400 pounds, 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 plans to open this new exhibit in 2012. Casey has since been moved to the Audubon ZooAudubon Zoo
The Audubon Zoo is a zoo located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is part of the Audubon Nature Institute which also manages the Aquarium of the Americas. The zoo covers and is home to 2,000 animals. It is located in a section of Audubon Park in Uptown New Orleans, on the Mississippi River side of...
in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
Marjorie McNeely Conservatory
The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (0.5 acres) was first opened in 1915, and is open every day of the year. It includes the following gardens and galleries:- BonsaiBonsaiis a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
Gallery - Enchanted Garden - a butterflyButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
garden. - FernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
Room - Japanese GardenJapanese garden, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
- sansuiShan shuiShan shui refers to a style of Chinese painting that involves or depicts scenery or natural landscapes, using a brush and ink rather than more conventional paints. Mountains, rivers and often waterfalls are prominent in this art form.-History:...
style, mountain and water landscape, as a sign of friendship with Saint Paul's sister city of Nagasaki, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. - North Garden - useful plants such as aloeAloeAloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
, bambooBambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, bananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, cacao, coffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, figFicusFicus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s, macadamiaMacadamiaMacadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....
, mahoganyMahoganyThe name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
, manila hempHempHemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
, manioc, papayaPapayaThe papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, etc. - Orchid House
- Palm Dome (64' high and 100' in diameter) - more than 150 palmArecaceaeArecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
species, as well as orchids and bromeliads. - Sunken Garden - seasonal flower shows.
- Tropical Encounters - A new exhibit (opened fall 2006) featuring animals and plants from the tropics. Located in the visitor center.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974.
Art at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory
- Crest of the Wave - Bronze sculpture created in 1925 by artist Harriet FrishmuthHarriet Whitney FrishmuthHarriet Whitney Frishmuth was an American sculptor known for her works in bronze.-Life:...
. Located in the Palm Dome. - Play Days - Bronze sculpture by artist Harriet Frishmuth. Located in the Sunken Garden.
- St. Francis of Assisi - Sculpture of the revered saint, Francis of AssisiFrancis of AssisiSaint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
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External links
- http://www.comozooconservatory.org/
- http://www.ourfaircarousel.org/ Cafesjian's Carousel
- http://www.comowoodland.org/ Como Woodland Restoration and Outdoor Classroom
- http://comoparkalliance.org/ Citizens Helping Como Park