- Woodland Park Zoo (historylink.org)
Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, now regarded as one of the nation’s best, began with a small menagerie on Guy Phinney’s sprawling Woodland Park estate between Phinney Ridge and Green Lake. In 1899, the City of Seattle purchased the estate, and in 1903 John C. Olmsted (1852-1920) designed the first plan for its permanent “Zoological Gardens.” In 1932, construction of Aurora Avenue N (Highway 99) severed the zoo from “lower” Woodland Park. In 1976, neighborhood opposition to improvements authorized by the 1968 Forward Thrust bond election led to a new Long-Range Plan, later implemented by director David Hancocks. The plan’s natural “bioclimatic” exhibits revolutionized zoo design and won numerous international awards. King County voters approved additional zoo improvements in 1985, which were completed in 1999 under the guidance of director David L. Towne.
