Highland Park Zoo

Pittsburgh's zoo became possible in the 1890s through a $125,000 gift from Christopher Lyman Magee, who in 1895 presented the money to the City of Pittsburgh for construction of a zoo. The proposal was approved by City Council and Mayor Bernard McKenna, and plans were prepared for a new zoo in the Highland Park neighborhood by a committee that included Edward Manning Bigelow. The Highland Park Zoo opened to the public on June 14, 1898. Before it was created, Pittsburgh had two smaller zoos, in Schenley Park and Riverview Park, which were well kept, drew thousands of visitors, and had limited selections of animals. After the Highland Park Zoo opened, those older zoos were discontinued and many of their animals were moved to the new zoo. For a number of years, newspapers and public officials often criticized the new zoo for its appearance and for improper management of animals and buildings. After 1934, the zoo underwent a major revitalization that introduced naturalistic environments for animals instead of the concrete settings common in early twentieth-century zoos. Formerly owned and operated by the City of Pittsburgh, it became a nonprofit organization in 1994 and is now owned and operated by the Zoological Society of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · United States