Key West Aquarium
Key West, FL
Key West Aquarium
1 Whitehead St, Key West, Florida 33040, USA888-544-5927
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In the Beginning'
The Key West Aquarium was a dream of Dr. Van Deusen, a director of the Fairmount Park Aquarium in Philadelphia. It began construction during the Great Depression in 1933 as part of the Works Progress Administration Program which helped to build many of the historic Key West Attractions that inhabit the island today. This provided many jobs to local Key Westers or'Conchs' as they are called today during this hard financial time where jobs were limited and people were in need of income to support their families. The concrete that was used to form the aquarium structure and holding tanks was mixed with sea water from the ocean since fresh water was hard to come by in those days.
The First of its Kind
The Aquarium took two years to complete and opened to the public on February 18, 1935. At that time admission was 15 cents for adults and 5 cents for children. The Key West Aquarium was the first aquarium to use an'open air concept'. This allowed for natural sunlight to illuminate the concrete marine displays. Dr. Van Deusen outlined the future of the Aquarium in his speech on its opening day. He stated that it was a valuable institution to biologists and students from all around the world in the hope that it would draw thousands of people annually to Key West.
The Key West Aquarium was a dream of Dr. Van Deusen, a director of the Fairmount Park Aquarium in Philadelphia. It began construction during the Great Depression in 1933 as part of the Works Progress Administration Program which helped to build many of the historic Key West Attractions that inhabit the island today. This provided many jobs to local Key Westers or'Conchs' as they are called today during this hard financial time where jobs were limited and people were in need of income to support their families. The concrete that was used to form the aquarium structure and holding tanks was mixed with sea water from the ocean since fresh water was hard to come by in those days.
The First of its Kind
The Aquarium took two years to complete and opened to the public on February 18, 1935. At that time admission was 15 cents for adults and 5 cents for children. The Key West Aquarium was the first aquarium to use an'open air concept'. This allowed for natural sunlight to illuminate the concrete marine displays. Dr. Van Deusen outlined the future of the Aquarium in his speech on its opening day. He stated that it was a valuable institution to biologists and students from all around the world in the hope that it would draw thousands of people annually to Key West.