©Wildlife Conservation Society
November 20, 2014
Barking at the Battery
- as seen by -
Madeleine Thompson
Did you know that before the New York Aquarium moved to Coney Island in 1957, it was located at Battery Park in Manhattan? Constructed inside of Castle Clinton–originally a fort built before the War of 1812–the Aquarium opened under New York City management in 1896. In 1902, the city transferred control and operation of the Aquarium to the Wildlife Conservation Society (then known as the New York Zoological Society).
As this picture shows, the Aquarium had a beautiful interior, filled with tiled pools and ornate tanks. It was also filled with people and animals, from small fish to enormous walruses.
Even though we’re lucky to be able to see what the Aquarium looked like then, but I always wonder what it sounded like. The sea lions barking at WCS’s parks or at another zoo or aquarium are pretty loud outside. Can you imagine how they sounded inside this large, tiled space?
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