Bronx Zoo

Why go

Animal exhibits share the grounds with wooded parkland and a distinctive group of historic zoo buildings. The visit can therefore combine wildlife observation with a look at how an early zoological park was laid out. Choosing a few habitat areas gives the extensive site a clearer purpose than attempting every attraction in succession.

What to look for

• Historic Beaux-Arts pavilions were grouped around the circular sea lion pool.
• The Bronx River passes through the zoo’s parkland.
• The Rockefeller Fountain stands near the Fordham Road entrance.

The full story

The zoo opened in 1899 under the New York Zoological Society, an institution founded to promote zoological study and wildlife preservation. Heins and LaFarge designed its original permanent buildings as Beaux-Arts pavilions around a circular sea lion pool. That formal architectural setting differs from the naturalistic habitats elsewhere on the grounds and gives the park an identifiable historic center. The Rockefeller Fountain adds another layer. Built in 1872 for Piazza Cavour in Como, Italy, it was purchased by William Rockefeller and installed at the zoo in 1903. Its journey from an Italian town square to a Bronx wildlife park explains the unexpected civic grandeur of the entrance landscape. The zoo’s history also includes animals now extinct, including thylacines held in the early twentieth century. That history makes its conservation identity more concrete than a general promise of animal education.

Useful to know

• Use the current zoo map to select habitat areas and a realistic sequence across the large grounds.
• Check seasonal attraction details before making a particular exhibit the reason for the trip.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.