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Pittsburgh Zoo -- Reptile Case

January 21, 1941

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Pittsburgh Zoo -- Reptile Case
  • Title
  • Pittsburgh Zoo -- Reptile Case
  • Creator
  • Pittsburgh (Pa.). City Photographer
  • Date
  • January 21, 1941
  • Identifier
  • 715.4159965.CP
  • Description
  • The case contains American alligators as well as three types of turtle: Box, Spiny Soft-shelled, and Spotted. When the reptile cage was renovated as part of the ten-year plan in 1941, an artist from the WPA (Works Progress Administration) decorated the interior of the cage to add the appearance of vegetation on the walls. The glass separating the animals from the visitors was also added with the renovation. Prior, bars had been used but guests constantly complained of the smell; when the zoo was renovated, glass was put around the reptile, monkey and bird cages. The reptile case was in use until it was closed in May 1985. More than 100 years ago, philanthropist Christopher Lyman Magee donated $125,000 for the construction of zoological gardens in Pittsburgh's Highland Park area. On June 14, 1898, the Pittsburgh Zoo opened to the public for the very first time, providing people with a rare glimpse of animals and plants they had never seen before. Fitting zoo paradigms of the time, it was more of an animal menagerie. Through the years, however, the zoo has transformed into a naturalistic habitat and resource for conservation, education and research.
  • Type
  • still image
  • Genre
  • photographs
  • Subject
  • Zoos
    Zoo exhibits
    Zoo animals
    Reptiles
    Zoos--Design and construction
  • Geographic Subjects
  • Highland Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • Source
  • Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection, 1901-2000
  • Contributor
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • Collection
  • Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection
  • Rights Information
  • No Copyright - United States. The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
    http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/