Belle Isle Aquarium

Belle Isle Aquarium
Belle Isle Aquarium in 2005.
42°20′11.79″N 82°59′7.27″W / 42.3366083°N 82.9853528°W / 42.3366083; -82.9853528
Date openedAugust 18, 1904;
August 18, 2012 (reopened)
Location3 Inselruhe Avenue
Belle Isle Park
Detroit, Michigan
Floor space10,000 sq ft (930 m2)
No. of animals1500 (2005)
No. of species146 (2005)
Total volume of tanks32,000 US gal (120,000 L; 27,000 imp gal)
Annual visitors113,000 (1995), 56,000 (2004)
Websitewww.belleisleconservancy.org

The Belle Isle Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. Designed by noted architects George D. Mason and Albert Kahn, it opened on August 18, 1904, and was the oldest continually operating public aquarium in North America when it closed on April 3, 2005. The aquarium was operated by the Detroit Zoological Society prior to the 2005 closure.

The aquarium reopened to the public on August 18, 2012, and is now run entirely by Belle Isle Conservancy, a 501(c)3 non-profit partner to Belle Isle park. The 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) historic building features a single large gallery with an arched ceiling covered in green glass tile to evoke an underwater feeling.