MDZiB Fantasy Master Plan: Introduction

I've mentioned this before, my little distraction of creating master plans for zoos.  I set the rules myself so money is never an issue.  In the past I have tackled the Superior Zoo in Duluth, Minnesota; the little Alameda Park Zoo in Alamogordo, New Mexico; the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; another little one, the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, Delaware; and this is my second run at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Maryland.  This time is actually more modest and realistic than the first design.

By way of background, I am and have been a member of the Maryland Zoo for several years now.  I have been a visitor for the past 25, and this past March I applied for and was granted volunteer status within their public programs corp under their education department.  Twice a month I share relevant and interesting information with guests, mostly younger guests (the activities are geared toward a 5-14 year-old demographic--although I find ways to engage anyone who is curious and wanting to check out the table and its materials).

By nature I am both creative and curious.  This exercise gives me an opportunity to image what isn't and create it within reasonable parameters all the while prodding me to explore a wide range of interrelated topics.  Honestly, it's very relaxing, too.  I mean, some people build jigsaw puzzles, right?

Disclaimers.  This is one hundred percent a reflection of my own madness.  I have no knowledge of or as far as I know access to the actual plans of the Maryland Zoo beyond what is in the public record.  While I'm sharing this here for general enjoyment of those who stumble upon it, I have not shared any of it with the Maryland Zoo (or any of the other plans I've created for any of the other aforementioned zoos), that's not the point.  It's a fantasy.

Next up, all of the drawings and illustrations are of my own creation (this map for example).  I use an old Apple Computer with a working version of Appleworks to create them.  It is a familiar platform from which to channel my ideas.  As accurate as any of them might appear, I make no assertion that my drawing are 100% accurate.  For example, in creating this map, I employed satellite images.  They are wonderful, but they aren't always clear.  Where they miss the boat, I did my best to extrapolate.  I am sure anyone with a more intimate knowledge of the grounds could find fault.  I am also certain they would absolutely recognize the majority of the details.

The current Maryland Zoo is home to a wide range of animal species for a mid-sized zoological garden.  It was first proposed and organized in 1876.   That year as part of Mayor Latrobe's state of the city report published in the Baltimore Sun newspaper, the following intention for a zoological park was included in the section referencing the finances, budget, and highlights of the Parks Commission of the city of Baltimore.

ZOOLOGICAL [G]ARDEN

It is hoped that the park commissioners will turn their attention to the establishment of a zoological collection in the Druid Hill Park.  In Philadelphia a joint stock company was formed some years since for the purpose of getting up such an establishment in Fairmount Park, in that city.  The company was chartered by the legislature, and authorized to issue a limited amount of bonds bearing six per cent. interest, the sale of which furnished the capital for the erection of the necessary buildings, purchase of animals, &c.  The land was given by the park commissioners and a small admittance [is] authorized to be charged for those visiting the grounds of the society. The proceeds of the admission fees was to be applied to the maintenance of the zoological collection and the payment of the interest on the bonds.

The society has now been in most successful operation for the past three years, and bids fair to become one of the largest and best conducted establishments of the kind either in this country or Europe.  Its receipts as shown by the reports which are annually published indicate its great popularity and appreciation by the people. I am sure that in Baltimore we could find both the liberality and enterprise that would start and foster what would be such an attractive feature in our beautiful park.

From such humble beginnings the zoo was born.  Initially if was referred to as the Druid Hill Park Zoo.  Much later it became known at the Baltimore City Zoo, or Baltimore Zoo, and in 2004 as a result of a financial restructuring agreement with the state legislature of Maryland, the zoo was again rechristened as the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, or Maryland Zoo.

In its present iteration, the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore features four focus areas based on geography.  They are Maryland Wilderness, Children's Farmyard, Arctic Region (featuring Polar Bears), and Africa.  My design addresses upgrades to all of these, even though those to the Arctic and African areas of the zoo are rather minor.  Additionally, I expand greatly the region between animals of the Maryland Wilderness and those of the North American Arctic region with a ambitious new focus of key species of Western North America.

And yet, a zoo is so much more than just its animal holdings.  It is a window into grand causes like biodiversity, ecological sustainability, and species survival.  And in presenting any and/or all of these lofty concepts, there remains the mundane and pedestrian aspects of a public access enterprise like a zoo.  And that's where I am going to begin my presentation. 

Before we get to the animals and such, we must start with the basics.  The series of ideas that I am going to present first will focus on the guest/staff/volunteer-park interphase between animal centric experiences, initial access experiences and first impression aesthetics. Furthermore, I break this initial unveiling of my ideas into 6 parts.  Broadly, these posts effect the Entrance, Parking for guests and others, and areas designed to be used for Events.

I know, it's borderline OC.  Still, don't you want to see the rest of what I've devised? 

 More to come.