In 2005, the 101-year-old building was the oldest operating aquarium in the United States

The Belle Isle Aquarium, located on Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan, was the oldest continually-operating aquarium in North America. Designed by noted architect Albert Kahn, it opened on August 18, 1904 and featured freshwater species native to the Great Lakes region as well as salt-water species from around the world including breeding programs for several endangered species. The aquarium made news in 2002 when one of its female white spotted bamboo sharks gave birth to two young despite not having been near a male in six years in a suspected rare case of parthenogenesis.[1] Download high resolution version (2080x1544, 1258 KB)Exterior of Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit, Michigan Photo by rmhermen, March 30, 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: Belle Isle Aquarium Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (2080x1544, 1258 KB)Exterior of Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit, Michigan Photo by rmhermen, March 30, 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: Belle Isle Aquarium Categories: GFDL images ... Belle Isle refers to two different islands in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Michigan Founded  -Incorporated July 24, 1701 1816  County Wayne County Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick... State nickname: Wolverine State or Great Lakes State Other U.S. States Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) Official languages English Area 250,941 km² (11th)  - Land 147,255 km²  - Water 103,687 km² (41. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west... See Albert Kahn (banker) for the French banker. ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kaguya is one success from 460 attempts at growing embryos. ...

The aquarium was operated by the Detroit Zoological Society which also runs the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Zoo. The aquarium featured a single arched-ceiling gallery with 10,000 square feet (900 m²) of space. Attendance has been on a declining trend; 113,000 visitors toured the aquarium in 1995; 86,000 in 2000; but only 56,000 in 2004. The Horace Rackham Memorial Fountain, Corrado Parducci, sculptor The Detroit Zoo is located in suburban Royal Oak, Michigan, USA. The Detroit Zoological Institute is an agency of the City of Detroit despite not being physically located there. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Interior of aquarium with its single green-tile curved ceiling gallery meant to evoke an underwater feeling.

The aquarium basement served as a speakeasy during Prohibition and later held large fish which no longer fit the Belle Isle Zoo's gallery tanks. Close circuit television allowed remote viewing of these fish. The aquarium was slightly remodeled in the 1950's. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2080x1544, 1324 KB)Interior of Belle Isle Aquarium, Detroit, Michigan Photo by rmhermen, taken March 30, 2005 -five days before scheduled closing of oldest aquarium building in the U.S. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2080x1544, 1324 KB)Interior of Belle Isle Aquarium, Detroit, Michigan Photo by rmhermen, taken March 30, 2005 -five days before scheduled closing of oldest aquarium building in the U.S. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete... A Speakeasy was an establishment that was used for selling and drinking alcoholic beverages during the period of U.S. history known as Prohibition, when selling or buying alcohol was illegal. ... Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol. ... Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ...

The aquarium was closed by the Mayor of Detroit on April 3, 2005 for budgetary reasons. Critics point out that the closure of the aquarium would save only about $350,000 annually towards the city's $230 million deficit, but this argument does not seem to have swayed the city government. Supporters of the aquarium are presently scrambling to find donors to help defray the building's operating costs while the city claims to be planning a new modern aquarium to be located elsewhere. Most of the fish will be moved to other aquariums around the world while a few representing native Michigan species may be retained for display at the zoo. April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

On August 3, 2005, Detroit citizens voted to reopen the aquarium by an overwhelming margin (88% in favor, 12% opposed). [2] The vote was non-binding, but nevertheless suggests that the aquarium's status could play a role in the city's mayoral elections in November, as the two leading candidates are divided on the issue. August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

External links

• Public Aquarium
• Friends of Belle Isle
• Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium