Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aquarama

Date opened	December, 1962
Date closed	1969 demolished
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea, often called just Aquarama, was a cool aquarium and show place in the 1960s. It was located in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Aquarama was a special place where you could see amazing sea animals and enjoy exciting live shows.

It was open from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. daily. Shows happened four times a day. Tickets cost $1 for children and $2 for adults.

Aquarama's Story

Aquarama was a new idea for entertainment in the 1960s. It mixed an aquarium with a water circus! Its name, "Aqua" (for water) and "arama" (like Cinerama), meant it was a place to "see it all" about the sea.

Before Aquarama, Philadelphia had an older aquarium. It opened in 1911 and was the first of its kind in the city. This old aquarium was in a building that used to be a water pumping station. It was very popular, with over a million visitors each year until the 1940s. But then, it started to fall apart. The city didn't have money to build a new one. So, private groups raised $3 million to build Aquarama. It opened in 1962 on a 10-acre site in South Philadelphia.

Aquarama Entrance

The location for Aquarama was chosen because it was part of a bigger plan. This area was once the site of a huge event in 1926 called the Sesquicentennial Exposition. Later, it became home to a modern sports and entertainment area. This included JFK Stadium and other fun places like a bowling alley and a drive-in movie theater.

Aquarama called itself "The Theater of the Sea." It opened in 1962. A decade later, Veterans Stadium and the South Philadelphia Sports Complex were built nearby. But by the late 1960s, people in Philadelphia started to lose interest in Aquarama. It began to lose money. After only seven years, the "Theater of the Sea" closed down. The building was torn down in 1969.

Building Aquarama

The architect who designed Aquarama was Erling H. Pedersen. His design used modern styles, mixing concrete, steel, and glass. This gave the building a cool, ocean-like feel. The entrance had double glass doors to help keep the inside temperature just right.

The outside of the building had cool angled concrete panels. It also had colorful tiles and wave-shaped canopies, which looked like ocean waves. The main colors were cream-yellow and green. The floors inside were made of a smooth material called terrazzo.

Aquarama had three main parts:

Wonders of the Sea

This was the main entrance area. On the left side, there was a huge, two-story circular tank. It held 155,000 gallons of fresh water! Visitors could walk around a ramp to see many different fish swimming together. There were also smaller aquariums along a zig-zag wall. These tanks showed off other interesting sea creatures. The area behind the big tank had lots of tropical plants. The lobby also had a snack bar, a souvenir shop, and a candy stand.

Theater of the Sea

Straight ahead from the entrance was the main show area. This was a large theater with a "fish bowl" tank that held 150,000 gallons of water. It was 100 feet long and 25 feet wide. Around the tank were 13 rows of seats, enough for 1,200 people to watch the shows.

Outdoor Sea Pools

Outside, there were several pools built into the ground. These pools were home to sea animals all year long. One large saltwater pool was for whales. It held 100,000 gallons of water, was 50 feet wide, and 8 to 12 feet deep.

Amazing Shows and Animals

Aquarama was a big hit for family fun in the 1960s. It was like an aquarium and a circus all in one! In 1965, a famous entertainment person named George A. Hamid took over the financially struggling Aquarama. He helped make the shows even better.

Scientists also used Aquarama for serious studies. The U.S. Government and companies like General Electric and Sperry Corporation studied dolphins there. They looked at their heartbeats, how they communicated, and even how they reacted to weightlessness! Sperry even used Aquarama's dolphins in their advertisements.

Main Plaza and Tanks

The entrance area had a huge, three-story circular tank. All kinds of fish swam in it, along with two giant 300-pound sea turtles. Sometimes, a human diver would swim in the tank and talk to the audience! A ramp went around the tank, so people could get a good view. Along the walls, many smaller aquariums showed off exotic fish and other aquatic life, including a porpoise tank.

Aquatic Arena Theater Shows

The main attraction was the water arena. It featured performances by porpoises and two famous whales named "Willie and Winky." The arena had a big rectangular pool surrounded by raised seats.

• Trained seals would play "How Dry I Am" on bulb horns.
• Dolphins would rescue a clown named "Flippy" several times a day. Flippy, played by James H. Crovetti, Sr., would hang 40 feet above the water. He would drop rings and balls for the dolphins to balance on their noses. Then, he would pretend to get stuck and fall into the tank! The dolphins would then "rescue" him. This dangerous trick happened four times a day!
• Pretty young women would swim in the tanks, looking like mermaids.
• Six porpoises, each weighing about 300 pounds and 10 feet long, would even do a "Philly Twist" dance!
• Famous radio and TV personalities like Gene Arnold and Gene Hart hosted many shows.

Other Fun Areas

Aquarama also had an outdoor area with open pools for seasonal exhibits. Visitors could walk around and explore. After the shows, people could buy souvenirs or watch chickens, ducks, and small animals do tricks in coin-operated booths.

Aquarama tried many ways to attract visitors. They rented out the space for parties and teen dances. A movie theater was even built on the grounds. George Hamid, the entertainment expert, even brought his famous Diving Horse attraction from Atlantic City. Sadly, even this didn't save Aquarama.

Featured Animals

• Pilot Whales: "Willie and Winky" were the stars! Willie was 12 feet long and weighed 1 ton. Winky was 8 feet long and weighed 600 pounds. They were caught off the coast of Newfoundland.
• Porpoises: Six porpoises, trained in Florida, performed fun tricks and friendly acts.

Movie Theater and Future Plans

In 1967, a 750-seat movie theater called the "Stadium Theater" was added to the Aquarama site. It also had space for a fast-food hamburger restaurant. There were plans for an ice skating rink, but it was never built. Before Aquarama was torn down in 1969, someone bought the property. They wanted to turn the building and its tanks into a motel with an ocean theme. But this plan didn't work out.

Aquarama in the Media

Aquarama was a popular spot for radio and TV shows.

• Gene Hart, who later became the famous "Voice of the Flyers" hockey team, worked at Aquarama as an announcer and public relations assistant. He even got his Flyers job while still working at the aquarium!
• The front entrance plaza was a great place for high school proms and weddings.
• A well-known radio and TV personality named Ed Hurst hosted a live teenage dance show called "Ed Hurst at Aquarama." It was like American Bandstand but filmed at the aquarium! It aired on Channel 3, but sadly, no videos of it exist today.
• Ed Hurst, along with TV reporter Jim O'Brien and radio personality Jerry Blavat, often hosted the show.
• Ed Hurst later talked about his time at Aquarama on a TV series called "More Things That Aren't There Anymore."
• The public relations director, Sidney Hantman, even produced a record album of children's songs, including one called "Percy the Pink Piranha."

• To Tell the Truth -TV Series episode #1084 College Student summer job works with Willie the Whale at Aquarama
• What's My Line -TV Series episode #638 Porpoise Trainer Aquarama
• What's My Line -TV Series episode #783 Whale Trainer at Aquarama
• WHYY-TV broadcast, Broadcast Pioneers member Ed Hurst talked about the Aquarama TV series