The Baltimore Zoo - Elephant House

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The Baltimore Zoo - Elephant House
Pietsch - Druid Hill Park Zoo - 1926.01.12 Elaphant House (MD Zoo).JPG
Site Information
Address1 Safari Pl
Geo-reference39°19′27″N 76°38′48″W / 39.32417°N 76.6467°W / 39.32417; -76.6467
Building Data
Building TypePark
Design
ArchitectTheodore Wells Pietsch
Construction
Completed1926

At what’s now the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, there was once a beloved elephant by the name of Mary Ann. She lived in a small enclosure, and she was popular among patrons to the extent that an architect, Theodore Wells Pietsch, was commissioned by the Park Board to study elephant houses in various cities in order to design something better for her. On May 10, 1924, the Baltimore Sun announced that plans had been prepared by Pietsch for the erection of a suitable enclosure. Other plans were also put in place for a new East Entrance, Aviary, and Animal House, but only plans for the Elephant House ever came to fruition. The rest would cost too much money. Even the Elephant House received scant funding, resulting in an incomplete structure getting razed to the ground on account of safety concerns in 1925. The final Elephant House, which is extant today, was eventually completed in 1926.

Elephant House