Pittsburgh Zoo wants to build new aquarium on North Shore
The Pittsburgh Zoo is considering building a stand-alone aquarium on the North Shore.
The zoo pitched the idea of the Pennsylvania Aquarium on Monday, saying it would be the first new major attraction to the North Shore since PNC Park opened in 2001.
"We think it needs to be a major aquarium in order to draw people in and that is one of the big things we are hoping it does, is really be an economic engine for the area and increase tourism," Pittsburgh Zoo President and CEO Dr. Jeremy Goodman said.
The project is in the "conceptual and exploratory phase," the zoo said. An economic impact study has been commissioned and a coalition of regional leaders will assess factors like feasibility and funding to determine whether the project is viable.
The zoo said it envisions a large-scale and immersive stand-alone destination that would expand on the offerings of its current aquarium in Pittsburgh's Highland Park neighborhood.
"Everyone who is a major player in the North Shore, we're going to have conversations with and try to really understand how we can best collaborate to put a major project like this together and to be very successful," Goodman said.
The idea is still in the early stages. The zoo said no construction timeline has been established and no final location decisions have been made. Site feasibility would be part of the evaluation process.
"Everyone is really excited about the potential, but once again, we have to do our due diligence, make sure that all the dollars and cents makes sense and that it really could be what we think it can be," Goodman said.
