A contemplative orangutan at the Kansas City Zoo.
A contemplative orangutan at the Kansas City Zoo. (Cody Boston | Flatland)

Going Ape About Habitat at the Kansas City Zoo

November 18, 2019  |  Cody Boston  |  1 min read

The Great Ape House at the Kansas City Zoo may have been a provocative piece of local architecture. Ultimately, though, it proved not fit for man nor beast.

Put simply, that’s the answer our curiousKC team found when a loyal reader asked about its fate. The Great Ape House was built in 1966 and demolished in 2015.

Kansas City Zoo Director Randy Wisthoff put it all rather succinctly: “It was just an iconic, I think, landmark here in Kansas City, especially at the zoo. It kind of had that futuristic look to it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out to be a great animal habitat.”

We suspect you’ll agree when you see the attached video, featurely an ambling gorilla at which you best not stare.

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