Belle Isle Aquarium facts for kids
 |
|
| Date opened | August 18, 1904; August 18, 2012 (reopened) |
|---|---|
| Location | 900 Inselruhe Avenue Belle Isle Park Detroit, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°20′11.79″N 82°59′7.27″W / 42.3366083°N 82.9853528°W |
| No. of animals | 1500 (2005) |
| No. of species | 146 (2005) |
| Total volume of tanks | 32,000 US gal (120,000 L; 27,000 imp gal) |
| Annual visitors | 113,000 (1995), 56,000 (2004) |
The Belle Isle Aquarium is a fun place to visit in Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. It was designed by famous architects George D. Mason and Albert Kahn. The aquarium first opened its doors on August 18, 1904. It was the oldest public aquarium in North America that had been open continuously.
However, it closed on April 3, 2005. Luckily, it reopened on August 18, 2012! Today, amazing volunteers run the aquarium. The building is 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) big and has a cool, arched ceiling. This ceiling is covered in green glass tiles. They make you feel like you are underwater.
Before 2005, the Detroit Zoological Society managed the aquarium. Now, the Belle Isle Conservancy takes care of it.
Contents
History of the Belle Isle Aquarium
.jpg)
The Belle Isle Aquarium first welcomed visitors on August 18, 1904. When it opened, it was one of the largest aquariums in the world. It held a huge amount of water, about 65,007 US gallons (246,080 L)!
During a time called Prohibition, when alcohol was not allowed, the aquarium's basement was used as a secret meeting place. Later, this basement held very large fish. These fish had grown too big for the main tanks. People could watch these big fish on special TV screens. The aquarium got a small makeover in the 1950s.
In its last years before closing, fewer people visited. In 1995, 113,000 people came. By 2004, only 56,000 visitors came to see the fish.
On January 14, 2005, the city of Detroit announced the aquarium would close. This was to save money, about $530,000 each year. The fish were moved to other aquariums. The aquarium officially closed on April 3, 2005.
On August 3, 2005, people in Detroit voted to reopen the aquarium. A huge number of people, 88%, voted yes! But this vote did not force the city to reopen it. So, the aquarium stayed closed for a while. Supporters kept trying to find people to donate money. They wanted to help pay for the building's costs.
Even when it was closed, the aquarium still helped some animals. Goldfish and koi from an outside pond stayed inside during the cold winter. Every February, the aquarium would open for one day. This was for an event called "Shiver on the River." It helped raise money for groups that support Belle Isle.
On August 14, 2012, good news arrived! The Belle Isle Conservancy announced the aquarium would reopen. This group was formed in 2011 by merging different Belle Isle non-profit groups. The aquarium reopened on August 18, 2012. This was exactly 108 years after it first opened! Since September 15, 2012, the aquarium has been open on Saturdays. It is run completely by volunteers.
Amazing Animals at the Aquarium
When it was fully open, the aquarium had 60 exhibits. All the tanks together held 32,000 U.S. gallons (120,000 L; 27,000 imp gal) of water. It was home to over 1,500 fish from 146 different types. The aquarium mostly showed freshwater fish. Many of these fish were from the Great Lakes region. But it also had saltwater fish from all over the world.
Today, the aquarium has a smaller collection of fish. Volunteers are working hard to bring more fish back. They are also restoring the tanks.
The aquarium made headlines in 2002 for a special reason. One of its female white-spotted bamboo sharks had two babies. This was amazing because she had not been near a male shark in six years! Scientists think this was a rare case of parthenogenesis. This means she reproduced without a male.
Helping Endangered Species
The Belle Isle Aquarium has helped protect animals. It took part in special programs to breed several types of endangered species. These programs help make sure these rare animals can survive.
The Future of the Aquarium
Volunteers are still working hard to fix up the aquarium. They are restoring sixty of the aquarium's tanks. Some of these tanks have been open since the fall of 2012. Their goal is to make the aquarium even better for everyone to enjoy.
