Zoo Atlanta is launching some exciting new plans in Grant Park! Their expansion and construction program was recently announced as the winner of the Mixed Use/Special Use category of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Best in Atlanta Real Estate” Awards. Thanks to some generous donations from Atlanta organizations, Zoo Atlanta is in the process of adding an expanded Safari habitat, welcoming center, office building and much more.

In November 2014, Zoo Atlanta received a $20 million grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation to benefit the $38 million expansion program at the zoo. The grant will also match other gifts for the campaign on a one-to-one basis, and will help fund the “A Grand New View for Zoo Atlanta: Elephants, Events & Expansion” campaign launched by the zoo last year.

Officials at Zoo Atlanta were also very excited to receive a corporate donation of $1 million from the Delta Air Lines Foundation earlier this year. This project is estimated to be completed by 2018 or 2019.

The campaign for Zoo Atlanta’s transformation is led by the 1921 Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum building, located next to the zoo in Grant Park.  The Cyclorama exhibit itself will be transferred to the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead, while the Cyclorama building in Grant Park will be restored by Zoo Atlanta. Built in 1921 by Atlanta architect John Francis Downing, the building will be preserved and renovated to maintain its historic character and charm.

Zoo Atlanta plans to preserve the exterior of the Cyclorama Grant Park building while adding an event space to the back side of the building. The back of the events venue will be virtually all glass with a view of an expanded African Savanna habitat, allowing guests an intimate wildlife experience as they view elephants roaming the habitat right outside. Additional features of the Cyclorama Grant Park building will include a fine dining restaurant, grand entry plaza and collaborative office space.

This expansion is a much-needed project for Zoo Atlanta, which currently does not have enough indoor event space for more than 200 people. In events containing more than 200 people, the zoo has to add a tent with heating and air conditioning.

Zoo Atlanta’s plans also include demolishing the two-story headquarters at the Cherokee Avenue entrance. The area between the headquarters and the Cyclorama will be turned into a grand welcoming plaza. Additionally, the city of Atlanta has committed to building a 1,000-space parking garage along Boulevard for guests and visitors.

To learn more about these exciting new additions at Zoo Atlanta, visit www.zooatlanta.org.