Belle Isle Aquarium

Belle Isle Aquarium
Belle Isle Aquarium in 2005.
Map
42°20′11.79″N 82°59′7.27″W / 42.3366083°N 82.9853528°W / 42.3366083; -82.9853528
Date openedAugust 18, 1904;[1]
August 18, 2012 (reopened)
Location3 Inselruhe Avenue
Belle Isle Park
Detroit, Michigan
Floor space10,000 sq ft (930 m2)
No. of animals1500 (2005)[2]
No. of species146 (2005)[2]
Total volume of tanks32,000 US gal (120,000 L; 27,000 imp gal)[3]
Annual visitors113,000 (1995), 56,000 (2004)[4]
Websitebelleisleconservancy.org
Map Map

The Belle Isle Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. Designed by noted architects George D. Mason and Albert Kahn,[5] it opened on August 18, 1904, and was the oldest continually operating public aquarium in North America when it closed on April 3, 2005.[2] The aquarium reopened to the public on August 18, 2012, and is now run entirely by Belle Isle Conservancy, a 501(c)3 non-profit partner to Belle Isle park.[6] The 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) historic building features a single large gallery with an arched ceiling covered in green glass tile to evoke an underwater feeling.[1][7]

The aquarium was operated by the Detroit Zoological Society prior to the 2005 closure. It is currently operated by the Belle Isle Conservancy.

  1. ^ a b "History". belleisleaquarium.com. Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium. Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Belle Isle Aquarium". detroitarmy.com. Detroit Army. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  3. ^ "City To Close 100-Year-Old Belle Isle Aquarium". clickondetroit.com. Click On Detroit. 14 January 2005. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  4. ^ "It's Official! City Says Belle Isle Aquarium Will Close". clickondetroit.com. Click On Detroit. 4 March 2005. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  5. ^ Burton, Clarence Monroe (1922). The City of Detroit, 1701 -1922, Volume 1. p. 416. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Belle Isle Aquarium To Reopen On August 18 In Celebration Of Her 108th Birthday" (PDF). belleisleconservancy.org. Belle Isle Conservancy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  7. ^ "Palmer Woods Resolution". belleisleaquarium.com. Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium. Retrieved 14 May 2010.