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The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is an aquarium in Cleveland, Ohio. Occupying the historic FirstEnergy Powerhouse building located on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River in the city's Flats district, the aquarium which opened in January of 2012 consists of approximately 70,000 square feet of exhibition space and features exhibits representing both local and exotic species of fish. The facility is the only free standing aquarium in the state of Ohio and ends a 26-year period that the city has been without a public aquarium.

History

The former Cleveland Aquarium opened on February 6, 1954, and was located on the city's near-east side in Gordon Park. It was created by the Cleveland Aquarium Society, a group formed in the 1940s, the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, which operated the facility. The aquarium was housed in a building constructed in the 1930s that previously served as bath house. In 1943, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History converted it into a trailside museum, displaying local flora and fauna as well as exhibits of freshwater fish of Lake Erie. That museum closed in 1953 when the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway cut Gordon Park in two.

In the early 1950s, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, which had previously had aquatic exhibits on its second floor of former home, moved to its own new building and consolidated its aquatic collection into the Cleveland Aquarium. The old Gordon Park trailside museum was renovated by Cleveland Aquarium Society volunteers for about $25,000.

The aquarium had 50 freshwater and marine exhibits including sharks, swordfish, sawfish, seahorses, eels, squid, octopus, and coral. It acquired a pair of Australian lungfish in 1966 and a school of red-bellied piranhas in 1970. Under the Natural History Museum's direction, the aquarium often drew more visitors than the building could handle. A $300,000 gift from the Leonard C. Hanna Foundation financed the construction of a new octagonal wing in 1967 that tripled the aquarium's size and increased its tank capacity from 8,000 to 82,000 gallons.

In 1979, despite annual deficits experienced in the 1970s, it required a city council override of a mayoral veto to increase the admission charges and keep aquarium operations with the museum. However, after years of minimal maintenance, the building was becoming an increasing burden for the underfunded organization.

Structural problems with the building forced the closing of the aquarium to the public in June 1985. The aquarium ceased operation in 1986. The former aquarium site then became a police dog training facility for the City of Cleveland. On April 1, 1986, fish and exhibits were moved to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where they remain today in the Primate, Cat & Aquatics Building.

Rebirth of Cleveland aquarium

The second iteration was conceived in 2009. It was originally envisioned as a more ambitious 100,000- to 125,000-square foot facility that would cost upwards of $50 million. However, planning of various forms occurred since the defunct Cleveland Aquarium closed in 1985. Although there were competing interests, the driving force behind the project was Jeffrey Jacobs, a local developer who was set on having a paying tenant for the Powerhouse, a complex he owned.

The eventual facility was a collaboration controlled by Jacobs. It was financed by a $2 million loan from the City of Cleveland, a $1.25 million investment from Marinescape and a $11.75 million investment from the Nautica Phase 2 Limited Partnership, an affiliate of Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. The facility also supported by FirstEnergy Corp. and AMPCO, the parking lot operator for the Nautica Complex.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the aquarium January 19, 2012, with the aquarium opening to the general public on January 21.

Facility

The total cost of the facility was roughly $33 million: $18 million for the building and its related infrastructure and $15 million for aquarium exhibits.

At the January 2012 opening, the aquarium 8 exhibition areas, including Ohio Lakes & Rivers, Lakes & Rivers of the World, Discovery Zone, Indo-Pacific, Northern Pacific, Coastal, Coral Reef and a main Shark SeaTube. It featured a 500,000 gallon tank with a 145-foot acrylic shark tunnel offering panoramic views of marine life, including sharks of various species, some up to 7 feet long. It also had a “Touch Tank” exhibit where visitors could lean in and touch marine life including rays, baby sharks and starfish.

References

1. Kosich, John (2011-02-14). "Greater Cleveland Aquarium to Open in October". WEWS-TV. Retrieved 2012-01-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
2. Kaufmann, Tina (2011-11-17). "Greater Cleveland Aquarium Will Open Doors in Late January". WEWS-TV. Retrieved 2012-01-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
3. "History". Cleveland Aquarium Society.
4. "Cleveland Aquarium". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
5. "Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:GORDON PARK". Ech.case.edu. 2006-10-23. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
6. ^ Baird, Gabriel (2009-06-17). "Jacobs plans to bring aquarium to Powerhouse in the Flats". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2012-09-29. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
7. O'Donnell, Patrick (2009-06-19). "Greater Cleveland Aquarium to Open in October". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2012-09-29. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
8. Lawless, Annette (2012-01-19). "Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Held for Cleveland Aquarium". WJW-TV. Retrieved 2012-01-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
9. Garcia Cano, Regina (2012-01-21). "Greater Cleveland Aquarium Opens its Doors to the Public". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2012-01-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
10. "Shark Exhibit". Greater Cleveland Aquarium. 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2012-11-08.

External links

• Official website

• Zoos in Ohio
• Culture of Cleveland, Ohio
• Visitor attractions in Cleveland, Ohio
• Oceanaria in the United States
• Museums in Cleveland, Ohio