Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

at San Pedro,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The aquarium interprets both the physical processes of oceanography and marine biology of Southern California by use of displays and educational programs for the public. The aquarium is operated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. The original building was a small structure that welcomed visitors until there was a move to a much larger structure designed by Frank Gehry in 1981. The 2004 expansion was designed by Barton Phelps & Associates.

History

The aquarium began in 1935 as a collection of marine specimens stored in the Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse. In 1949,

John Olguin John Main Olguin (February 18, 1921 – January 1, 2011) was an American aquarium official who served as the museum director of the Cabrillo Marine Museum, which has since been renamed the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, from 1949 until 1987, when he b ...

, captain of the Cabrillo Beach lifeguards, was appointed director of the museum. He popularized the aquarium by giving impromptu tours to visiting school groups as well as starting the popular evening program of viewing and learning about the bizarre

grunion Grunion are two fish species of the genus ''Leuresthes'': the California grunion, ''L. tenuis'', and the Gulf grunion, ''L. sardinas''. They are sardine-sized teleost fishes of the New World silverside family Atherinopsidae, found only off ...

mating practices on the beach. On October 21, 1981, the new $3 million, Frank Gehry-designed museum opened and the old museum closed. Throughout the 1990s, the museum experienced significant growth and its name was changed from Cabrillo Marine Museum to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium to highlight its living collections. It expanded its public programs sector and added an Ocean Outreach Education program, a discovery lab, and a child volunteer program named Sea Rangers. They also created a non-profit, called the Friends of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, to assist in funding. In 2004, the facility expanded with an Exploration Center, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Courtyard, an Aquatic Nursery research lab and the Virginia Reed Moore Research Library. In October 2010, it celebrated its 75-year anniversary. The

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

pandemic hit the aquarium hard, with them losing many staff and members. But throughout the pandemic, while they were closed, they renovated multiple sections of the aquarium.

Architecture

The original one-story, facility was designed by Frank Gehry & Associates. It features indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces, an auditorium, wet laboratories and offices around a central open space wrapped in chain-link fencing. Free-standing tanks served by exposed electrical and plumbing systems openly display mechanical functions. In 2000, Los Angeles commissioned Barton Phelps & Associates to prepare a master plan for a phased expansion. A two-story addition houses wet labs, offices, and the Moore Research Library. A fiberglass sculptural screen fronts the expanded complex.

Gallery

File:Sea stars and sea urchins in the tide pool touch tank at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.JPG, Sea Stars File:Sea birds display at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.JPG, Sea birds display File:Red abalone aquaculture tank at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.JPG, Red abalone aquaculture

Notes

External links

* {{authority control Aquaria in California Museums in Los Angeles San Pedro, Los Angeles Natural history museums in California Frank Gehry buildings 1941 establishments in California