Existing comment:
The 1904 World's Fair Flight Cage, one of the few structures remaining from the World's Fair.
The 1904 World's Fair Flight Cage was built by the Smithsonian Institution for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis -- the 1904 World's Fair. At that time, it was the largest bird cage ever built, and it proved to be one of the most popular exhibits at the festival.
The Flight Cage served as the centerpiece for the creation of the Saint Louis Zoo in 1913. Over the years, the aviary has been home to a number of bird species, many of them exotic. Today it provides habitat for native birds -- those found in the swamps of Missouri.
Following the Fair, the Smithsonian planned to move the Flight cage to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. But the citizens of St. Louis rallied to keep the structure in Forest Park -- and were clearly successful. |