A controversy arose in 2006 about the size of enclosures for elephants in the zoo's care. Several other U.S. zoos--most notably in Los Angeles, CA, Oakland, CA, and Tucson, AZ--had built larger enclosures to enable elephants to move about more freely, while the Woodland Park Zoo'z enclosure was viewed as cramped. The zoo received extra money in 2007 when a Seattle pro-parks levy passed on 08/21/2007.

Guy Carleton Phinney (1852-1893) constructed a menagerie on his 180-acre estate from 1887-1899. The City of Seattle purchased the Phinney Estate on 12/28/1899 for the then sizable sum of $100,000. It then gradually began to maintain the grounds as a zoological park.

PCAD id: 7765