Elmwood Park Zoo Receives Facility Innovation Award

Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown has recently been recognized with the Facility Innovation award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The award celebrates the zoo's efforts to transform into a world-class facility that prioritizes education, conservation, and animal care.

This recognition follows the opening of the zoo's new Welcome Center and Veterinary Health Center on June 27, 2024. Both have been under construction for more than a year and were made possible by a $30 million gift from philanthropists Frank and Paige Engro.

The centerpiece of the zoo's expansion is the 39,000-square-foot Welcome Center. It features a large entrance plaza, a coffee shop, a café, a gift shop, and pathways designed to reflect the natural surroundings of Stony Creek. Interpretive exhibits inside the Welcome Center highlight the zoo's century-long history and its evolution into a regional attraction.

The Veterinary Health Center within the new facilities includes large viewing bays that allow the public to observe veterinary work.

"The award recognizes excellence in the design and construction of a facility that supports the mission of an AZA Institution," the zoo shared with the Patch of Norristown. The design and construction recognition applied to parts of the zoo that do not include animal exhibitions as their primary function.