The Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (or just Como Zoo and Conservatory) are located in Como Park at 1225 Estabrook Drive,

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The park, zoo and conservatory are owned by the City of Saint Paul and are a division of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. Its attractions include the

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...

, the conservatory, an amusement park, a carousel, Lake Como, a golf course, a pool and more. The park receives more than 1.9 million visitors annually. Como Park is a free park and while no admission fee is charged for the zoo or conservatory, voluntary donations of $4 per adult and $2 child are suggested.

Como Park

In 1873 the City of Saint Paul acquired of land around Como Lake that would become a public park. Today the park includes: * of paved trails * Athletic fields * Como Golf Course - 18 hole, 70 par * Como Lake **1.67 mile paved path around the lake **Fishing Pier **Lakeside Pavilion - home to Como Dockside Restaurant and Bar a New Orleans themed restaurant which hosts local live music in an outdoor band shell nightly in the summer. **Paddleboat, canoe, paddle boards, and family bike rentals * Como Pool * Como Town amusement park * Picnic shelters * Putt'er There Mini Golf * Medallion

Art and historic structures

* Bridge No. L-5853 - Pedestrian bridge over former street car tracks, built in 1904 and engineered by William S. Hewett. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It is significant for being one of the oldest examples of a reinforced concrete bridge. * Bridge No. 92247 - Lexington Avenue Bridge - Also built in 1904 and engineered by William S. Hewett, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It is significant for being one of the oldest examples of a reinforced concrete bridge and because it is wider than it is long. * Cafesjian's Carousel - PTC #33 was built in 1914 by the

Philadelphia Toboggan Company Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry Auchey and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia ...

and was restored and saved from auction in 1988. * Comfort Station - Prairie style restrooms located in the West Picnic Grounds that were completed in 1917 and restored in 1998. * Constructing Friendship - A sculpture by Michael Sinesio created in 2006 as a part of the Minnesota Rocks! International Stone Carving Symposium. It is located at the west entrance to the park. * Frog Pond - Completed in 1910, the overlook has a pergola that was donated in 1929. The granite frog, from which the pond gets its name, is from 1923. * Gates Ajar - Originally installed in 1894. The iron gates were installed on the structure sometime later during the depression by Chief City Blacksmith, Walter Cronk. Being refurbished in 2007. * Global Harmony Labyrinth - Dedicated in 2005, it celebrates the Sister City relationship between Saint Paul and

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

, Japan. (read about the construction of the labyrinth) * Granite Frog - Located in the middle of Frog Pond directly south of the conservatory, last remaining component of the original Japanese garden. * Hamms Memorial Waterfall * Henrik Ibsen - Bust of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, created by Norwegian-born artist Jacob Fjelde and given to the city in 1907 by a Norwegian fraternal organization. The bust was stolen in 1982 and replaced in the late 1990s. ("Oh, Henrik!") * Historic Street Car Station - A station for the

Twin City Rapid Transit Company The Twin City Rapid Transit Company (TCRT), also known as Twin City Lines (TCL), was a transportation company that operated streetcars and buses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Other types of transp ...

and the Como-Harriet line. * Joyce Kilmer Memorial Fireplace - The large stone fireplace was erected in 1936 in memory of poet

Joyce Kilmer Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection ''Trees and Other Poems'' in 1914. Though a prolific poet wh ...

. For years, the fireplace was in a state of disrepair, but in 2011 it was refurbished and rededicated. * Lakeside Pavilion - The current building was constructed in 1992 as an exact replica of the original 1905 building. * Lily Pond - Originally built in 1895 and known as the Aquarium, the pond featured exotic lily pads. While the lily pads returned to Como Park at the conservatory in 2005, the original pond has been dry and unused for some time. * Mannheimer Memorial - Designed in 1905-1906 by

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and ...

, who also designed the

Minnesota State Capitol The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Minnesota, in its capital city of Saint Paul. It houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the office of the Attorney General and the office ...

building. * Paisley Perch - Another Minnesota Rocks! sculpture created in 2006, this bench-shaped creation is by Peter Morales. It is located at the southern corner of the park off Lexington Avenue, next to the ball fields. * Points of Compass - A life-size sundial designed and constructed by Superintendent of Parks George Nason in the 1930s. * Schiller Statue - Bronze figure of Johann von Schiller with a granite base by artist Ignatium Taschner, dedicated in 1907. * Schiffman Fountain * Submariner's Memorial - Dedicated in 1965 as a memorial to the lost crew of the USS Swordfish.

Saint Paul Winter Carnival

In 1939 Lake Como hosted the

Winter Carnival Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures d ...

Ice Palace and the Winter Carnival Medallion has been hidden in Como Park eight times (1956, 1965, 1980, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2003, and 2014).

Como Zoo

The first zoo in Saint Paul was started when in 1897, the city of St. Paul received a gift of three deer. Additional animals followed, when more room was needed to house the animals they were moved to facilities at Como Park. Como Zoo continued to grow through donations of animals and money. The

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

Zoological Building was designed in 1936 by Charles Bassford as part of the federally funded

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

. Other WPA structures were completed in the 1930s, including Monkey Island, barn and bear grotto. In the 1980s several new exhibits were added as part of a major renovation project, including the Large Cat exhibit (1980), Aquatic Animal Building and conversion of Monkey Island to Seal Island (1982), the Primate Facility (1985), the Land and Water Bird exhibit (1986) and the African Hoofed Stock Facility (1987).

Art at Como Zoo

* Don the Gorilla - Bronze and stone statue of a popular gorilla named Don donated by artist Betty Sievert in 1982. Located outside the primate house. * Giraffes - Fiberglass giraffes created by Third Street Studios and donated in memory of Sandra Kay Bjick in 1994. Located near the giraffe exhibit. * Polar Bears - Fiberglass polar bears created by Third Street Studios. Located near the polar bear exhibit. * Sparky - Fiberglass sculpture of 'Sparky' the sea lion who performs entertaining shows at Como Zoo. Created by Third Street Studios in 1997 in celebration of the zoo's centennial. Located near the Sparky Amphitheater. * Toby the Tortoise - Bronze sculpture of the popular tortoise named Toby. Create by the artist Tischler. Located in front of the Zoological building in the Como Park Zoo Donor Plaza. * Penguins - Fiberglass sculpture of penguins. * Earth Day Mural - Created by Teresa Cox on April 22, 2000, with help from zoo visitors. * Family - A set of three abstract, wire-frame sculptures created by Russell Erickson in 1978. The sculpture stood in front of the FDA building in Minneapolis until 2004 when the building was demolished and the sculpture eventually moved to the Como Zoo as a temporary measure. As of 2009 it is located in a grassy picnic area across from Como Harbour. A new Polar bear exhibit was finished in 2010. The two twin Polar bear brothers (Buzz and Neil) returned from their temporary stay in Canada. The exhibit includes a shallow and deep pool plus a middle room. It also has a back room where the Polar bears can choose to stay in the AC. A new seal and sea lion exhibit with two pools was completed in 2021.

Casey the Gorilla

On May 13, 1994, Casey a 400-pound gorilla, scaled the wall of his enclosure and wandered free around the zoo for 45 minutes. Visitors were ushered to safety as zoo staff shot Casey with a tranquilizer and returned him to his enclosure. This resulted in the zoo building a temporary slanted wall around the enclosure to keep this from happening again and the zoo is planning on building a new area for the gorillas making it safer and impossible to escape from. The zoo opened a new exhibit in 2013 called Gorilla Forest. Casey was moved to the Audubon Zoo in

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Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (0.5 acres) was first opened to the public in November 1915. This facility is open to the public every day of the year. It includes the following gardens and galleries: * The Ordway Gardens - features a Bonsai Gallery and native grass terrace. * Enchanted and Excedra Garden - a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprise ...

garden that includes a mix of perennials and annuals grasses, flowers, and shrubs. *

Fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

Room - features a wide array of

tree ferns The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tre ...

, Bird's-nest fern,

Adiantum ''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern, is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place it in its own family, Adiantaceae. The genus name comes from Greek, meaning "un ...

, and several others. *

Japanese Garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...

- sansui style, mountain and water landscape, a gift from Masami Matsuda, a prominent Japanese landscape architect, that represents friendship and peace between

and its sister city

, Japan. * North Garden - useful plants such as aloe,

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

, bananas, cacao,

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

macadamia ''Macadamia'' is a genus of four species of trees in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. They are indigenous to Australia, native to northeastern New South Wales and central and southeastern Queensland specifically. Two species of the genus ...

, mahogany, manila hemp,

manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

, papaya, etc. *

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

House (Horticultural Staff Only) * Palm Dome (64' high and 100' in diameter) - more than 150

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

species, as well as a rotational display of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

s and bromeliads. * Sunken Garden - features five seasonal flower shows a year. * Tropical Encounters - A new exhibit (opened fall 2006) featuring animals and plants from Central and South America. This is a separate exhibit located in the Visitor's Center. The conservatory was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1974.

Art at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

* Crest of the Wave - Bronze sculpture created in 1925 by artist Harriet Frishmuth. Located in the Palm Dome. * Play Days - Bronze sculpture by artist Harriet Frishmuth. Located in the Sunken Garden. * St. Francis of Assisi - Sculpture of the revered saint, Francis of Assisi.

Notes

External links

*
Cafesjian's CarouselComo Woodland Restoration and Outdoor ClassroomCitizens Helping Como Park
* {{authority control Amusement parks in Minnesota 1873 establishments in Minnesota Art Deco architecture in Minnesota Botanical gardens in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota Parks in Saint Paul, Minnesota Protected areas of Ramsey County, Minnesota Regional parks in Minnesota Works Progress Administration in Minnesota Zoos in Minnesota Greenhouses in Minnesota Japanese gardens in the United States