| Name | Como Zoo & Convservatory |
| Address | 1225 Estabrook DriveSaint Paul, MN 55103 |
| Brief Description | For over one hundred years, Como Park has played a vital role in meeting the recreational needs of residents of Saint Paul and surrounding communities. |
| Type | Attraction |
| Category | Zoo |
| Description | For over one hundred years, Como Park has played a vital role in meeting the recreational needs of residents of Saint Paul and surrounding communities. Inspired in part by the landscape designs of H.W.S. Cleveland, Frederick Nussbaumer, Superintendent of Parks from 1891 to 1922, worked tirelessly to create an outdoor haven for the area's urban population. Nussbaumer strongly advocated for a wide variety of free or reasonably priced recreational activities, services, and educational opportunities for all park visitors. The park as we know it today continues to carry out this original vision. Today Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is operated by the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department. The zoo features a seal island, a large cat exhibit, a variety of aquatic life, primates, birds, African hoofed animals and a world class polar bear exhibit. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is a half acre indoor and outdoor facility with a number of different wings dedicated to a variety of plant life including bonsai trees, ferns, orchids and seasonal flowers. The Zoo & Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is open year round. During the winter, the zoo and conservatory are open from 10AM until 4PM. During the summer, hours are extended until 6PM. Admission is free to the public, however a $2 donation is suggested for adults and $1 for children. .ZOOIn 1897, the City of Saint Paul fenced-in a pasture in Como Park to hold three deer gifted to them, thus beginning Como Zoo. Thirty-some years later the first major construction project was federally funded through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The 1930s' WPA projects included the bear grotto, Monkey Island, the barn and the Main Zoo building. In 1956 Archie Brand brought his famous Seal Show to Como Zoo and soon after the animal collection expanded to include valuable and endangered species, including gorillas, orangutans & Siberian tigers. In 1976 the Minnesota State Legislature approved a Master Plan and $8.5 million in funding for Como Zoo. This paved way for major renovations in the 1980s on the Large Cat Exhibit, the Aquatic Animal Building (including Seal Island, formally known as Monkey Island), the Primate Facility, the African Hoofstock Facility and the Land & Water Bird Exhibit. In 2010 we celebrate the addition of the state of the art, world class habitat Polar Odyssey. . CONSERVATORYOn Sunday, November 7, 1915, Como Park Conservatory opened and for the first time, Saint Paul's annual exhibition of chrysanthemums was viewed all in one location. It wasn't until 1925 that the now traditional Holiday Flower Show and Spring Flower Show began. On November 19, 1974, Como Park Conservatory was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Major renovation to the Conservatory began in 1987 and was completed in 1992. All the glass was replaced, the heat system was updated, hydronic heat was added in the Sunken Garden, structural elements were sand blasted and repainted, new electrical and lighting was added, and brand new growing ranges were built. In 2002, the Donald McNeely family provided a generous gift and the Conservatory was renamed the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park as a memorial for a remarkable woman who made many contributions to arts and culture during her lifetime. . PARK"Creating memories and inspiring appreciation of the natural world. We at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory hold everything we do against the expectations laid forth in our mission statement. |
| Phone 1 | (651) 487-8200 |
| Email | comomarketing@ci.stpaul.mn.us |
| Website | www.comozooconservatory.org |
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| Last Updated | 7/12/2011 |
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