The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "The Aquarium, New York City." New York Public Library Digital Collections New York Aquarium 1896-1941In 1890, the Castle Garden Emigrant Depot shut down operations, and the fort and its complex was placed under the administration of the Department of Public Parks. While immigration facilities were under construction on Ellis island, immigrant processing was moved to the Barge Office, which lay at the south tip of the Battery where the Staten Island Ferry Terminal stands today. During this period, Castle Garden was granted use to the Irish and German Immigrant Society for continuation of the labor bureau, to the Naval Reserve as a drill-room and quarters, and even to the “Morning Journal” for public concerts. However, these temporary tenancies would not last as the structure was in need of major renovations. 
Popular Science Monthly, vol 58, Feb. 1901 On December 10, 1896, Castle Garden reopened to the public, this time as the first ever New York Aquarium. The highly anticipated opening had been advertised multiple times over the previous few years only to be met with repeated disappointment as delays in renovations kept the building shut year after year. At its inauguration, many tanks lacked specimens and informational placards, the second floor galleries were closed, and despite promises to showcase a Beluga whale, the capture efforts had proved futile. Regardless, the aquarium was deemed ready for the public, and crowds swarmed into Battery Park to be the first inside. Policemen stationed at the Aquarium had to usher the crowds in lines around the circular row of tanks to avoid overcrowding. Visitors were steered so quickly past each exhibit that they barely had enough time to recognize what they were seeing. The Sun stated “...unless one was willing to go around two or three times he didn’t see much of the fish.” Yet, despite the chaos, crowds, and the unfinished exhibits, the public was impressed. The New York Tribune reported … “The crowds that visited the Aquarium yesterday showed the greatest delight at what they saw…”. 
New York Zoological Society. Digitized by Wildlife Conservation Society Archives. The tanks showcased both freshwater and saltwater fish, ranging from bass, sturgeon, and cod, to conger eels and the marine ray-finned sheepshead, whose teeth show an uncanny resemblance to those of a human. The crowd favorites were decidedly the harbor seals, including the infamously known ‘Nellie,’ who would put on a show for guests, playfully throwing water over those who gathered around her tank. Following close behind were the various sharks and a shellfish tank filled with lobsters, crabs, and seahorses, all which slowed down the already congested flow of awestruck visitors. 
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "New York Aquarium" New York Public Library Digital Collections. The New York Aquarium was a free and accessible museum that brought the wonders of aquatic life to the wider public. However, over its first few years, its operations held it back from reaching the success of other museums in the city. These included a lack of organization that dragged out construction and political entanglements that led to appointments of unqualified individuals with no genuine interest in improving the facility. Due to these issues, the oversight of the New York Aquarium was handed over to the New York Zoological Society on October 13, 1902. Dr. Charles H. Townsend, naturalist, fishery expert, and former chief of the fisheries division of the U.S. Fish Commission, respectably assumed the role as director of the aquarium and immediately identified areas of improvement. Over the following years, many renovations were made to better house and attend to the collections, including overhauls in mechanical equipment, the salt and freshwater reservoirs and their respective pump systems, ventilation, and the lighting design so that the aquaria could be seen more clearly. Townsend also introduced a hatchery to the facility that was used to stock the exhibits and local water bodies for the commercial and recreational fishing industry. The effectiveness of the New York Zoological Society's changes were noted by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, who in 1910 reported that given visitation figures, “...the Aquatic Museum in the old building has within the past year oustripped every other museum of New York, and as a matter of fact of the whole world, in popularity.” 
New York Zoological Society. Digitized by Wildlife Conservation Society Archives. In addition to the infrastructural updates made to improve the quality of care for the specimens, Townsend continually pleaded for the city’s support of the aquarium’s enlargement. With its high visitation rates, this was becoming increasingly necessary to comfortably accommodate both the crowds and the array of sea creatures. From 1922 to 1926, this request was granted in the form of a major renovation of the aquarium by the architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White. With the addition of two stories, there would be more space in the exhibition hall and amenities such as research laboratories, offices, and a library could be expanded into the upper stories. Francis D. Gallatin, the Parks Commissioner during the renovation, was involved in approving the firm’s plans, which faced criticism from the Arts Commission due to proposed alterations to the exterior of the original fort walls. Coincidentally, Francis Gallatin was not the first in his family to have a hand in decision making over Castle Clinton. Albert Gallatin, Francis Gallatin’s great-grandfather, was the Secretary of Treasury during the original construction of Castle Clinton, and was responsible for withholding further funding to annex additional tiers to the defensive fort’s walls. 
The Sun, April 19, 1903 During its tenure, the New York Zoological Society worked to establish the aquarium not only as a place of amusement, but also of instruction. Thousands of school children would benefit from environmental programming surrounding aquatic life in the facility. In June of 1910, Dr. Townsend reported that in a single year 350 schoolhouses had been provided with aquaria and over 4,800 students had been educated using specimens from the facility’s laboratories. In addition to education, the facility also served as a site for research and innovation, inviting local artists for naturalist studies and various investigators from high schoolers to university scholars to use the labs to make invaluable advancements in aquatic sciences. In 1913, Zahr Pritchard, a British-American artist known for his underwater landscapes, graciously presented the aquarium with one of his works of the coral reefs in Tahiti to be placed as a backdrop in an exhibit. |
Last updated: March 6, 2024