Committed to preservation
Although most Zoo visitors don’t remember a Toledo Zoo
without an Aquarium, it wasn’t part of the plan until the early 1920s.
The Great Depression delayed the plans for over a decade.
That’s when William Schmuhl, the local administrator for the
Works Progress Administration (WPA), worked with then-Zoo
Director Frank Skeldon and Toledo Zoological Society President
Percy Jones, to match unemployed craftsmen with Zoo
construction projects. One of these projects was the Aquarium.
WPA durability
When the Aquarium first opened, it was the world’s largest freshwater
aquarium and a triumph of construction.
The Aquarium was crafted from river shale, salvaged clay brick and
lumber, cement and new glass block. Its massive foundation structure
supported the crushing weight of thousands of gallons of water.
Less robust construction would have caused the building to settle
unevenly or even collapse the floors.
The Aquarium’s distinctively curved eastern wall was
originally planned to serve as the back wall of the
historic Amphitheatre (another WPA-era project).
On May 31, 1939, the Aquarium opened to the public. It was reportedly the 30,000th project the WPA
completed in Ohio, and it held the distinction of being the world’s largest freshwater aquarium at that time.
Milestones
An indoor Trout Stream opened in the late 1950s and was thought to be the only exhibit of its kind in the U.S.
It featured a winding, chilled-water stream circulated by the strong current necessary for trout to survive.
Later, this area housed the South American Rainforest exhibit; today, it is part
of the main Aquarium entrance.
Photos: Zoo archives
The entrance to the Aquarium is a “full circle” story.
Originally, this was believed to be one of the passages
that visitors used to enter the building, but this entrance
was closed and visitors entered through one of the two
side entrances. Work on the Aquarium has restored this
original entrance to its former status.
The Zoo has one of the nation's largest
collections of WPA-era buildings.
PO Box 140130 Toledo, OH 43614-0130
T 419.385.5721
W toledozoo.org
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Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Notable animals include a rare pink porpoise, also called an Amazon dolphin, which was exhibited during the
1970s. Many more animals were featured in the South American Rainforest exhibit, which opened in 1989
where the Indoor Trout Stream had earlier existed; this exhibit featured 140+ mammals, birds, reptiles and
fish in a lush rainforest setting.
More recently, in 1999, the Living Reef premiered at the Aquarium. This exhibit housed 15 or more species of
live coral in the Aquarium’s second-largest saltwater tank. Additional Aquarium species over the years have
included a giant Pacific octopus, flashlight fish, rare Lake Victorian cichlids and seahorses.
Tragedy
Disaster has twice struck the Aquarium. On Nov. 25, 1982 (Thanksgiving Day), fire erupted through the roof
and killed 104 display fish and another 500 feeder fish. Among the prized specimens lost were an arapaima
and a pacu which was among the largest of its species in the nation. The Aquarium was closed for three
months while repairs were made.
Five years later, on Apr. 13, 1987, one of the inch-thick glass tank panels split open and sent 20 tons of water –
plus many fish -- cascading onto the Aquarium floor. Fast-acting Zoo aquarists were able to save two lemon
sharks by quickly scooping them up and racing them to a secondary saltwater tank in the basement,
but smaller fish were lost.
National award-winning staff
In 1997, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recognized Jay Hemdal, curator of fishes, and his staff
with the Munson Aquatic Conservation Exhibitry Award. The award honored the exhibit, Lake Erie: Past,
Present and Future, which highlighted humans’ effects on indigenous fish populations, including the
Great Lakes sturgeon and whitefish.
Tested by time
A near-century of bearing under crushing weight eventually took a toll on this beloved building, as did the
corrosive effects of saltwater.
This combination of forces required massive renovations to the Aquarium’s interior, though crews have been
careful to preserve its historic exterior “footprint.”
Today’s Aquarium marks a huge milestone in this beloved structure’s legacy. Dedicated crews have
preserved its WPA-era craftsmanship while transforming it to offer dynamic new experiences never
before seen in this region.