America’s First Zoo, like everyone else in this town, can’t
resist a good roof deck.
At Wednesday’s Art Commission meeting, the Philadelphia
Zoo unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art dining facility that would increase
the capacity of its restaurant by nearly seven-fold.
The Philadelphia Zoo estimates construction will cost
$11.5 million.
“We haven’t made an investment in our zoo guest-member
amenities of this kind in a number of years,” said Amy Shearer, the zoo’s chief marketing officer,
reached by phone late Wednesday afternoon. “We were able to put together a
design that really blurs the line between indoors and outdoors. People won’t
have to stop their visit to eat. Instead it’s a big part of the visit and the
experience will really speak to the idea of nature, our role on the plant, and
how we fit within it.”
Currently, the Zoo’s main restaurant has 92 indoor seats.
The expansion would expand that to 650 seats, including 156 on a roof deck.
In addition to the open sky seating, the new,
20,000-square-foot, two-story building will feature green roof infrastructure.
A glass-enclosed pavilion on the ground floor will offer four different dining
options and an entrance that includes a stairwell and elevator tower, which
will be lit at night to ensure the new structure attracts passing guests.
For sources of funding for the estimated $11.5 million
project, go to PlanPhilly.com.
Source: Philadelphia
Business Journal
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