Abilene Zoo Presents 10-Year Master Plan Designed by Parkhill
Written By: Abilene Reporter News
Date: April 27, 2022
Jimmy Tittle of the Tittle Luther Partnership was the primary architect for the original Abilene Zoo project which opened in 1966. TLP merged with Parkhill in 2012 bringing a history with the zoo to the firm. Since then, Parkhill continues to be involved in the design, preservation, and expansion of the Abilene Zoo including the Giraffe Exhibit in 2013, the Madagascar Exhibit in 2021, and now a 10-year master plan. The master plan will allow the zoo to welcome new species, incorporate habitats, and add attractions to experience Abilene Zoo in new ways.
The Abilene Zoo presented its 10-year master plan to the city’s parks board this week, and the plans include expansion into untapped territory its own board members jokingly call the "back forty," said Jesse Pottebaum, Abilene’s Zoo Director.
In reality, it's the back 22 acres.
Pottebaum told parks board members the goal "has been a work in progress, I think, for the zoo community for several years, if not decades, of tapping into these back 22 acres.”
Full plans will be presented at the zoo's yearly Zoobilation Gala fundraiser, he said, scheduled for April 30.
Parkhill has a long relationship with Abilene Zoo including the most-recent project, a 10-year master plan.
The Madagascar Exhibit opened in 2021.
The Giraffe Exhibit at Abilene Zoo opened in 2013.
