Belle Isle Aquarium | |
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42°20′11.79″N 82°59′7.27″W / 42.3366083°N 82.9853528°W | |
Date opened | August 18, 1904;[1] August 18, 2012 (reopened) |
Location | 3 Inselruhe Avenue Belle Isle Park Detroit, Michigan |
Floor space | 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) |
No. of animals | 1500 (2005)[2] |
No. of species | 146 (2005)[2] |
Total volume of tanks | 32,000 US gal (120,000 L; 27,000 imp gal)[3] |
Annual visitors | 113,000 (1995), 56,000 (2004)[4] |
Website | belleisleconservancy |
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.