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1965–1966 — a zoo the public built, a society that runs it
In brief: The zoo's animals and grounds belong to the Current and Events sections; what belongs here is its civic structure. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo opened 3 July 1965 in Franke Park — 500,000 dollars raised, 5.5 acres, 18 exhibits — on land the park board had set aside for a nature preserve in 1952. In 1966 the Fort Wayne Zoological Society was established as a nonprofit to assist the zoo's development and growth, and across the following decades the operating model settled into its distinctive shape: one of the nation's few self-supporting zoos, funding operations from admissions, rides and concessions rather than tax appropriations. The institution renamed itself the Fort Wayne Zoo at the start of 2025.
Sources:
- Fort Wayne Zoo / Fort Wayne Zoological Society histories — the 3 July 1965 opening, the 1952 Franke Park preserve, the society's 1966 establishment, the self-supporting model, the 2025 name.