Franklin Park Zoo
A few weeks ago in April 2023, I visited the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, MA. While I have often visited Franklin Park in the past to run in cross country races, I had never gone inside the historic zoo, which first opened in 1912 and is among the oldest urban zoos in the United States. Now part of Zoo New England, a collaboration with Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA that was formerly called Commonwealth Zoological Corporation, this seventy-nine acre property sits at the northeast point of the largest park in the Greater Boston area. The entire park is part of the Emerald Necklace designed by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Formerly called as West Roxbury Park for a local neighborhood now known as Jamaica Plain, the park is currently named after American politician and inventor Benjamin Franklin, who was born in Boston. The zoo itself was designed by former Olmsted employee Arthur A. Shurtleff, greatly changing Olmsted’s idea of a natural wilderness in an urban area.
The zoo has been accredited by American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA) since 1990. Some high profile animals, like the lions and gorillas, live in modern if smaller enclosures with enrichment opportunities. Many of the exhibits are still of an older style, with visitors separated from animals like ostriches, wildebeests, zebras, and giraffes by metal fencing and visible ditches. Some large animals like camels, wallabies, and emus are kept in corrals. Most interesting for me were two buildings with significantly different architectural style. The Tropical Forest building — home to pygmy hippos, lemurs, monkeys, and other mid-sized animals — is a modernist concrete building with a sloping white roof. In contrast, the Bird’s World Exhibit building is one of the original structures in the park and demonstrates an early 20th century orientalist style, loosely inspired by ancient buildings from East Asia. I noticed that fewer visitors came through the Bird’s World building than the Tropical Forest building, and I wonder if they were intimidated by the design.
One of my favorite features of this zoo was the signage and sculptures. Besides standard descriptions of animals and their habitats, additional educational information such as comparing animal feet or maps of the zoo appeared throughout the space. One fun interactive piece were a pair of Smartflower solar panel systems. According to a sign sponsored by Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, the units “generate 8,000+ kilowatts of electricity annually… to power our carousel [and] golf carts”. This practical sculpture is much more beautiful than standard solar panels. I also loved the giant ruler displaying the heights of the giraffe family.
The zoo has abandoned some exhibits, but these are easily accessible to the public. Most famous are the bear dens at the top of a hill on a part of the Franklin Park cross country course called Long Couch Woods. While part of the original Shurtliff plan, the bear cages with intricate carvings and strong metal bars proved pricier than expected. As the zoo became financially bereft in the 1950s due to low attendance, the city-run Boston Parks & Recreation Department, which managed the zoo at the time, got rid of the bears and closed the exhibit. By 1958, when the state-run Metropolitan District Commission, now known as the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), took over the zoo and cut off that piece of land. The zoo now ends at Giraffe Gate, which is visible from the parking lot shared between the zoo and multiple sports venues including White Stadium, a football field and track complex that seats up to 10,000 and is currently used by the Boston Public Schools. Also in this area are the Overlook Shelter Ruins, originally built as a fieldhouse and destroyed by fire some time in the 1940s, although this loss was not considered significant enough to be listed in the Boston Fire Historical Society records for major fires.
For the people of the Greater Boston area, this zoo is a great pastime for the community. The zoo is on the smaller side, so anticipate spending two or three hours walking around. Price of entry varies by day of the week, time of day, and purchasing in-person versus online. As from the date of publication, expect to pay between $17.95 and $25.95 for adults, $16.15 and $23.35 for seniors, $12.55 and $18.15 for children ages two to twelve, and free for children under two, Zoo New England Members, and family of employees of company that sponsor the zoo. (I happen to be in the final category.) Most of the zoo is accessible to wheelchair users, although the space could use more benches or other places to sit. The zoo works with KultureCity, an international organization focused on providing spaces for people with “sensory processing needs”, especially children with autism. Signs around the zoo indicated what areas were quiet places to decompress. As an adult with sensory processing issues, I appreciated the effort, but since the zoo is in the middle of a busy city, I could hear traffic noise from even the quiet zones, and the sensory bags were not designed for me as the end user. On a more positive note, the gift shop was excellent! Visitors can purchase zoo-related memorabilia at a wide range of price points. I recommend the Franklin Park Zoo for families of all ages in the Greater Boston area looking for a relaxing morning or afternoon.
Abby Epplett’s Rating System
Experience: 7/10
Accessibility: 8/10