Large Bird House, 1911. Constructed in 1905 and designed by Heins & La Farge (the designers of the original IRT subway stations), the Large Bird House is a neo-classical structure of limestone, brick, and terra cotta. The sculpture and reliefs on the building, including the life-size eagle over the door were created by Alexander P. Proctor. Proctor, a prolific sculptor, also created pieces for three other zoo buildings, and was the artist behind the three pumas that watch over the Third Street entrance to Prospect Park. The building originally housed more than 1500 avian specimens.

The Bronx Zoo’s creation was one of the founding objectives of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which began in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society. The zoo opened to the public on November 8, 1899 and was immediately popular: within ten years it had welcomed nearly four million visitors, and it has remained one of New York City’s cultural icons. In addition to opening a world-class zoo for NYC, WCS was founded to promote the study of zoology and to preserve wildlife in an era when the human impact on nature was increasingly evident. While aspects of those founding objectives have evolved over time, WCS remains committed to saving wildlife and wild places worldwide today through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. Much about the Bronx Zoo today would be unrecognizable to its first visitors, yet important early features remain—from original structures and an ongoing emphasis on the location’s natural beauty, to its continued focus on fulfilling WCS’s mission. Since its opening, the Bronx Zoo has been a leader in wildlife conservation, education, exhibitry, and husbandry. Together with WCS’s other three NYC zoos and its New York Aquarium, the Bronx Zoo has educated and inspired more than 400 million visitors, including about a half-million students annually. Today the Bronx Zoo is the Bronx’s largest youth employer, providing opportunity in one of the most underserved communities in the nation. The Bronx Zoo also is the subject of the Animal Planet docuseries THE ZOO. This tour explores how the early Bronx Zoo embodied WCS’s founding goals and how the evolution of these goals has shaped the park. The tour’s creation was funded by a 2019 Metropolitan Library Council of New York’s User Engagement with Digital Collections grant. This grant is aimed at expanding usage of existing WCS Archives digital collections hosted on METRO’s Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York platform.

The Bronx Zoo was founded by the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1899. Since its inception, it has dedicated itself to the conservation of the natural world - displaying 6,000 animals across 256 acres in replicated habitats.

Astor Court stands as one of the few intact ensembles in New York City realized according to City Beautiful ideals. It was designated a New York City Landmark in 2000. Zoo Center, once known as the Elephant House, is the Court's terminus. Originally known as Baird Court, the architects Heins and LaFarge designed it in consultation with early WCS officials. Its Beaux Arts style—marked by heavily ornamented buildings that reflected the animal inhabitants within—was influenced by the Court of Honor at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. While WCS’s leaders wanted the court’s refined style to reflect the society’s commitment to learning and culture, they were also dedicated to maintaining the natural landscape throughout the rest of the park. This distinct balance between built and natural environments is still evident at the Bronx Zoo today.

Situated at the north end of the Bronx Zoo, just south of East Fordham Road, the Rainey Gates were completed in 1934 as a memorial to noted big game hunter Paul James Rainey. The Art Deco bronze gates are the work of noted sculptor Paul Manship. They depict stylized animals including polar bears, elk, turtles at the base, and a single majestic seated lion at the very top.

The Rocking Stone is an example of a glacial erratic left stranded by the masses of ice during the last Ice Age. Even before the Bronx Zoo opened, the Rocking Stone was a popular attraction because, being perfectly balanced on a rocky drift, a small push would easily set it swaying. (Alas safety concerns have meant that the 30-ton stone has long since been swayable.)