2001 Preservation Awards
Aquatic Bird House and Aquarium
Built in 1915, the Aquatic Bird House and Aquarium is a full-blown example of the Prairie Style. Designed by Claude & Starck, the Bird House was the first permanent major structure constructed by the Vilas Park Zoological and Aquarium Society. The 1914 Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association report notes that “on the rise of ground above the bear cages, Mr. Ossian Cole Simonds of Chicago . . . has located the main building” which was to house an aquarium, a central fountain with a pool for waterfowl and dens for animals, reptiles and birds that could not weather outdoors. Mrs. Vilas, a major contributor for the development of Vilas Park and the zoo, funded the building.
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Other 2001 Award Winners
