In his mini zookeeper outfit, 1-year-old Ezekiel and his mother Sonia Rivera stood peering up at a giant topiary gorilla and colorful butterfly canopy at the newly transformed entrance to the San Antonio Zoo.
“It’s amazing!” Rivera said.
On Friday, zoo leaders, zookeepers, volunteers and local officials cut a ceremonial ribbon to open the newly constructed $13 million zoo entrance and H-E-B Plaza.
San Antonio Zoo President and CEO Tim Morrow said the new entrance was “unlocking a world of adventure, wonder and joy,” and ushering in a new era at the 109-year-old zoo.
“Even more exciting things are on the way,” he said. “Soon, we’ll break ground on the most incredible gorilla habitat that has ever been imagined, and the Ralston, a world class event center, will be right behind that.”
Both the gorilla habitat, Congo Falls, and Ralston Event Center, named for the Ralston Family Charitable Foundation which gave $10 million in November for the project, will open in 2025.
The Greg Kowalski Family contributed $1 million in October for the zoo’s ongoing development and expansion plans. Another $3 million was donated by H-E-B and the H-E-B Tournament of Champions Charitable Trust.
In May 2022, $10 million was approved for the zoo in the City of San Antonio’s bond vote.
St. Louis-based PGAV Destinations designed the new zoo entrance and Guido Construction served as the general contractor for the one-year project. All of the roughly 600 crew members who built the entrance received four tickets to visit the zoo with their families, said zoo spokesman Cyle Perez.
Up the steps and ramps and past the Western lowland gorilla statue, the words “securing a future for wildlife” stretch across the triple set of wrought-iron gateway doors. Just beyond the gates, vibrant papel picado waved in the breeze above the brick-paved plaza, which features the lemur skywalk, restored Monkey House, and the Lion Family statue, a longtime favorite among zoo visitors.
Zoo docent Alvin Frieden, an 89-year volunteer, said the entry and plaza felt like “Disneyland.” He watched the ribbon-cutting with fellow blue-shirted docents Veronica Hood, Patricia Carrillo and Joyce and Charlie Stervinou.
“It’s the most exciting thing that’s happened in my 10 years here,” Frieden said.
Nearby, landscapers worked busily to fill pots with new plants and put the final touches on the entryway while zoo visitors watched and waited with children and strollers. DJ Mayhem pumped up the crowd and mariachis performed on the pergola walkway.
“I’ve got to say the anticipation and enthusiasm leading up to today has been unparalleled,” said William Freed, chairman of the San Antonio Zoological Society board of directors. “The transformation of our front signifies not just a physical change, but also a symbolic representation of the progress we’ve made as an institution.”
In the past nine years, the zoo has made $100 million in upgrades, Morrow said.
Tracee Feik, co-chairwoman of the zoo’s capital campaign, said the zoo has always been a great place to visit. “But now we are on an incredible journey toward becoming the best in the country.”
City Manager Erik Walsh and Mayor Ron Nirenberg also attended the event.
“This new front gate … steeped in tradition and reflecting our shared values, symbolizes a welcoming and accessible space for everyone to visit,” Nirenberg said. “And I know there are many parents out here, myself included, who have spent countless weekends over and over bringing our children here.”
