New Aquarium In Kansas City

[KCZooFan]

Big aquarium set for Crown Center - KansasCity.com

What a catch!

Crown Center on Wednesday announced a $15 million aquarium that will open in spring 2012. Sea Life Kansas City at Crown Center will occupy the entire 45,000-square-foot first floor and about half of the second floor of Halls department store. Halls will shift some departments to other spaces in Crown Center.

The aquarium will include more than 30 displays — from shrimp and starfish to seahorses, sharks and rays — along with a huge tropical ocean tank with a walk-through underwater tunnel. A regional element will take visitors on a two-to-three-hour journey from “the fresh waters of the Missouri River, into the mighty Mississippi River, then out into the warm blue coral-strewn waters of the Caribbean Sea, ending in the deep, dark abyss of the Atlantic Ocean.”

While construction is expected to begin in May, the final design, including the total number of gallons of water, has not yet been completed. Admission prices also were not disclosed.

Bill Lucas, president of Crown Center Redevelopment Corp., a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, said the Sea Life aquarium will complement the family-oriented attractions at Crown Center and add to its regional draw along with the nearby attractions of Union Station and the National World War I Museum.

“This is one of the most exciting announcements in our history,” Lucas said.

Merlin Entertainments Group, based in the United Kingdom, will develop the aquarium. The company, a major player in the family entertainment business, has developed nine other attractions in the U.S., including the Legoland California theme park and water park.

It also has Sea Life aquariums in Carlsbad, Calif., and Phoenix. An aquarium at the Mall of America in Minneapolis is being re-branded as a Sea Life and will reopen in a few weeks, and a Sea Life and Legoland Discovery Center will open in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this spring.

Merlin and Crown Center Redevelopment will share the construction costs and will not seek tax incentives. The aquarium will have about 50 employees during peak summer and holiday seasons.

“Kansas City is a great regional destination and we know Crown Center is a place that’s always going to be here, in 20 years, 30 years, and it won’t become glitzy,” said Steve Shears, site search and acquisitions director for Merlin.

In recent years, developers have pitched Union Station, the riverfront and a location near the Sprint Center as sites for a major aquarium attraction downtown. Now it appears the area could soon have not one but two aquariums opening at about the same time.

Across the state line in northeast Johnson County, an aquarium is being planned as a major attraction of the proposed Mission Gateway office and retail project in Mission.

Cameron Group, a Syracuse, N.Y., developer of Mission Gateway, is proceeding with plans for a much larger saltwater aquarium — 2.5 million gallons and around 90,000 square feet. A single 2-million-gallon tank is planned to take up the first floor of the proposed three-story freestanding building. The Mission attraction will be operated by U.S. Aquarium Team of Dallas.

Erik Pedersen, U.S. Aquarium’s chief executive officer, said his attraction might appeal to a wider age group and be more “museum quality” than the Crown Center aquarium. It is projected to cost $35 million to $40 million. Construction could start by this summer with an opening planned for spring or summer 2012. Cameron won state authorization for $63.2 million in STAR bond financing for the Mission Gateway.

Shears, of Merlin Entertainments, said he looked at several area sites before selecting Crown Center. He said the development, which includes the headquarters of Hallmark Cards Inc., had the infrastructure in place with two major hotels, retail, restaurants and other attractions like Kaleidoscope, the Coterie Theatre and the American Heartland Theatre.

“A major investment like this, central location, no incentives, what’s not to like?” said Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser.

As for Halls, the men’s department will relocate to space on the third level of the Crown Center Shops. The Hallmark Cards product department within Halls will be consolidated into the Hallmark store on the second level of the shops, while the home decor and kitchenware departments will be relocated on Halls’ second floor.

The department store’s third level will remain unchanged.

Crown Center Shops tenants were pleased by the news.

“It’s very exciting to have that kind of investment … what a boon for Kansas City,” said Mary Merola, co-owner and a founder of Function Junction, a housewares store near Halls in Crown Center. “This is already a thriving area, but it will give us another boost.”

When Merola attends a trade show in two months she plans to look for seahorse cookie cutters and fish-themed aprons and lunchboxes to appeal to aquarium customers.

“We’re looking forward to selling a lot more Big Momma’s cinnamon rolls,” said Joy Leon of Big Momma’s bakery on the first floor of Crown Center Shops.



Read more: Big aquarium set for Crown Center - KansasCity.com

 

[Zooplantman]

The sad thing is that a $15million aquarium is like a $18,000 new car: Serviceable for sure but not interesting or eye-catching. By no stretch can they call this a Big Aquarium.

This is the Starbucks of Aquariums. Soon there will be one on every corner (and in Cleveland)

 

[KCZooFan]

Yeah, its amazing how a person can go from very excited about having an aquarium in their city, the see the words "Sea Life", and excitment is gone.

 

[team tapir]

Reading this article we started to think the same thing and thought of Cleveland right away.For years here in C town two groups have lobbied to bring an aquarium to the area.The city went with the smaller cheaper version.Not a fan of this trend at all.By the way it looks like Toronto is going to build a real aquarium.



Team Tapir

 

[Zooplantman]

R.By the way it looks like Toronto is going to build a real aquarium.

It seems that there are people in 'the profession" who doubt Ripley's sincerity in proposing the aquarium in Toronto

 

[ANyhuis]

I don't know why you all are so down on "Sea Life" aquariums. I visited the SL Aquarium at Legoland (Carlsbad, CA) and it was very nice. It certainly had an atmosphere aimed at kids, but that's good, isn't it?

I think it's interesting that so many American aquariums are owned by big corporations (and I like that trend). Not only are their the Merlin (Sea Life) aquariums and Ripleys, but also the 2 Landry's (Denver and Houston), plus New Jersey's Adventure Aquarium (owned by same theme park folks who run MO's Silver Dollar City), Minnesota's Underwater World, and even the huge Georgia Aquarium is a corporate venture. Goes to show that you can be in it for the profits and still give us a quality aquarium.

 

[tim b]

I presume ANyhuis was visiting his first Sea Life whereas here in the UK we have had 25 years of their tiresome, formulaic, identikit mini-aquariums.They are not really taken seriously by conservation-based aquariums and for a number of years they have taken an anti- this, anti-that, attitude based on types of animals that are expensive to house and keep but dressed up as other reasons[cetaceans being one,Sandtiger Sharks another].Now they are major players the rhetoric has fallen silent.A pox on them i say! And now they have bought the excellent Sydney Aquarium/Wildlife World...my heart sinks[no pun intended]

 

[tim b]

And another thing..In Blackpool Merlin have just closed down one of the worlds oldest aquariums[1875] and built...a dungeon! In Berlin they thought nothing of setting up in opposition to one of the worlds greatest aquariums at Zoo Berlin -and no,it isnt a good thing that the Sea Life in California is good for kids, i get sick of a serious subject being dumbed-down all the time just so that some child or other can yell"nemo!" when they should be yelling "symbiosis!".Let zoos be zoos and kindergartens be kindergartens - PLEASE!

 

[Baldur]

And another thing..In Blackpool Merlin have just closed down one of the worlds oldest aquariums[1875] and built...a dungeon! In Berlin they thought nothing of setting up in opposition to one of the worlds greatest aquariums at Zoo Berlin -and no,it isnt a good thing that the Sea Life in California is good for kids, i get sick of a serious subject being dumbed-down all the time just so that some child or other can yell"nemo!" when they should be yelling "symbiosis!".Let zoos be zoos and kindergartens be kindergartens - PLEASE!

I could not have put it better myself - when I first visited the US in 2003, I was stunned to find a Starbucks on almost every corner in Chicago, hardly any other coffee shops, and I'd hate to see if more or less all aquariums will come under Merlin's sterile hat. Having been to 2-3 (including one in Spain a decade ago) I don't see a reason why I should spend money visiting yet another Sea Life Centre, which will probably look the very same as the last one.

I didn't even go to the one in the basement of Mall of America when I was in Minneapolis in October, though chiefly because of the ticket price. Why pay $18 or $20 for entering a basement aquarium when an amazing zoo a bit further out offers you a full day for 2/3 of that (not helping is that the Mall of America one claims to have the biggest this or that, which no one believes except those who have never left the State of Minnesota).

 

[reduakari]

I think it's interesting that so many American aquariums are owned by big corporations (and I like that trend). Not only are their the Merlin (Sea Life) aquariums and Ripleys, but also the 2 Landry's (Denver and Houston), plus New Jersey's Adventure Aquarium (owned by same theme park folks who run MO's Silver Dollar City), Minnesota's Underwater World, and even the huge Georgia Aquarium is a corporate venture. Goes to show that you can be in it for the profits and still give us a quality aquarium.

Until, of course, the profits stop rolling in and it gets sold at 50 cents on the dollar to the next bidder--with the collections, staff and any token "educational" programming getting tossed first. Whatever happened to the chain of "Great American Wilderness" indoor zoos that were being developed in malls around the country? I can only shudder to think where the hawks, otters, coyotes etc. were dispostioned to after that great experiment in capitalism went bust....

 

[ANyhuis]

I presume ANyhuis was visiting his first Sea Life

You're right, Sea Life Legoland was (and still is) my only acquaintance with this chain. I really liked it, and I couldn't disagree more that it IS a good thing to aim this aquarium at children. If you make these aquariums too high minded, the kids won't even want to go in -- what will they learn then? But they're learning plenty in LegoLand's SL Aquarium! And what harm is it if they call the clown fish "Nemo"?

 

[tim b]

With all due repect the world revolves on natural sciences and not cartoons..its got to the stage where everything Disney is second nature but the real nature is becoming unknown,even boring=after all,how many kids could say who or what Nemo really is and how he lives,not many i suspect.

 

[Baldur]

With all due repect the world revolves on natural sciences and not cartoons..its got to the stage where everything Disney is second nature but the real nature is becoming unknown,even boring=after all,how many kids could say who or what Nemo really is and how he lives,not many i suspect.

Much the same as kids seem to think every Suid is 'Pumba', be it Warthog, Red River Hog, Wild Boar, Bush Pig or Warty Pig.

 

[KCZooFan]

With all due repect the world revolves on natural sciences and not cartoons..its got to the stage where everything Disney is second nature but the real nature is becoming unknown,even boring=after all,how many kids could say who or what Nemo really is and how he lives,not many i suspect.

I remember a few years ago on a science quiz an extra credit question was something like "what kind of fish is Dory?"

I have a feeling that no one could answer that today.

 

[team tapir]

When I was a kid I remember getting a subscription to a monthly magazine called Zoobooks.I would come home from school every day and check the mail for a new one.These books were my first introduction to the animal kingdom and were very detailed and informative and yet very kid friendly at the same time.It drives me crazy today when I see a family at the gorilla exhibit telling the kids "hey look at the monkeys".My point is that things don't have to be cartoons and coloring books to educate kids,zoos just need to take the time to provide interesting information.

Marty from Team Tapir

 

[KCZooFan]

I also got ZooBooks as a child, though now they are gone an I have real books. However, you make a good point. Children will learn if adults promote it, as both adults and zoos are getting lazier about that and more interested in letting their young ones just goof aound, and American youth is being affected by that.

 

[Duckbill]

Disclaimer, I am a former employee at SL Carlsbad.

WRT to the Sealife in Carlsbad, I totally understand why some people, especially animal enthusiasts like the people on this board, would be put off by the youthful targeting. But I think in the case of SL Carlsbad, people forget that the target audience is quite literally very young children. Legoland itself isn't really designed for people older than age 12 and even that is a bit of a stretch (i'd top it out at 10 year olds). The majority of the school group offerings are for 5th grade and lower (very few programs for 4th and 5th graders), and when I was doing presentations I can honestly say I saw very few groups of kids above 2nd grade.

And yes, kids are going to yell "NEMO!" and "DORY!" C'est la vie. You will get that at ANY aquarium that exhibits those fish, even those with proper displays that say "Clownfish" or "Blue Tang"/"Blue Surgeonfish". YEs it's not terribly accurate but it's good that kids get that recognition and perhaps it inspires someone to one day pick up a book and learn more. For all we know in about ten years we could have a generation of aquarists partly inspired by watching Nemo when they were too young to know any better.

Let's not be too high and mighty, especially those of us who don't have kids. Even for those of us with kids, not every child is going to have a parent with the same level of interest in order to tell them while watching Nemo "that's a clownfish". I would much rather that kids get exposure and develop respect for wildlife and the environment though than for them not to do so at all. Sealife has its faults, but being geared towards families with younger children isn't one of them. We have the option of not going or going elsewhere that suit our tastes.

Oh and yes, Zoobooks are awesome and I still read the ones I have from time to time. To anyone using them for gift giving I highly recommend "Animal Champions 1 & 2" and "Endangered Species".

 

[Johnny]

And another thing..In Blackpool Merlin have just closed down one of the worlds oldest aquariums[1875] and built...a dungeon! In Berlin they thought nothing of setting up in opposition to one of the worlds greatest aquariums at Zoo Berlin -and no,it isnt a good thing that the Sea Life in California is good for kids, i get sick of a serious subject being dumbed-down all the time just so that some child or other can yell"nemo!" when they should be yelling "symbiosis!".Let zoos be zoos and kindergartens be kindergartens - PLEASE!

I agree with you about your point of view of the sealife franchise. But I think you are exagerating a little bit now. There's nothing wrong with having some displays that are designed for children, but I hate an entire aquarium designed for children. Education is a good thing in zoo's but also overrated, because even adults do not read it, and even if they do, they succeed in not understanding what they read ( or even not seeing the pictures displaying the animal, and as a consequence succeed in calling a clownsfish a complete different name).

My problem with sealife is that it is sterile, and ten of a kind. I was afraid that for instance the london aquarium would be completely ruined by a sealife look. From what I have read, merlin has some brains left, and left the coral aquariums, tropical freshwater aquariums, the mangove tanks and the big tank with the sandtigers intact. But offcourse, one aquarium had to be completely redesigned, and be equipped with an acryllic tunnel. I don't mind acryllic tunnels, but merlin seems to be obsessed with this!

 

[ANyhuis]

Let's not be too high and mighty, especially those of us who don't have kids. Even for those of us with kids, not every child is going to have a parent with the same level of interest in order to tell them while watching Nemo "that's a clownfish". I would much rather that kids get exposure and develop respect for wildlife and the environment though than for them not to do so at all. Sealife has its faults, but being geared towards families with younger children isn't one of them. We have the option of not going or going elsewhere that suit our tastes.

Wow, Duckbill, I could not have said this better! Thanks for your inside insight. You are exactly right.

 

[Duckbill]

I agree with you about your point of view of the sealife franchise. But I think you are exagerating a little bit now. There's nothing wrong with having some displays that are designed for children, but I hate an entire aquarium designed for children.

Then don't go! However, when I was there I had a lot of families who lavished praise on the aquarium because it was designed for their young kids. Even with three AZA aquariums within driving distance from Sea Life, parents would go there because their kids had a better experience which made it less strenuous for their family. At the time I was at Long Beach volunteering at Aquarium of the Pacific (one of the larger US Aquariums) the large crowds and exhibit designs were not always kid-friendly.

Besides, given the rate Sea-Life is expanding in the US and expanded across Europe already, you can't deny that they appear to have a successful model as they wouldn't be able to expand if it was unpopular.

Education is a good thing in zoo's but also overrated, because even adults do not read it, and even if they do, they succeed in not understanding what they read ( or even not seeing the pictures displaying the animal, and as a consequence succeed in calling a clownsfish a complete different name).

Education is the single most important duty of a responsible Zoo/Aquarium save for the protection and propagation of threatened species! Just because not every guest is there for a learning experience, that doesn't mean they don't learn something. To me one of the primary reasons we humans can ethically exhibit animals in an exhibit display is because those animals serve as ambassadors for their species to help create an experience that will persuade guests to support conservation-minded causes.

My problem with sealife is that it is sterile, and ten of a kind. I was afraid that for instance the london aquarium would be completely ruined by a sealife look. From what I have read, merlin has some brains left, and left the coral aquariums, tropical freshwater aquariums, the mangove tanks and the big tank with the sandtigers intact.

I'll agree with you wholeheartedly that the experience would not be nearly as enjoyable if all the European Sea Lifes look the same. Part of my joy from visiting aquariums is the uniqueness and individuality of each facility and photographing it. But how many visitors are going to go to more than one or two of these aquariums in their lives? You and I are not the target market.

But offcourse, one aquarium had to be completely redesigned, and be equipped with an acryllic tunnel. I don't mind acryllic tunnels, but merlin seems to be obsessed with this!

This is not limited to SeaLife. Acrylic tunnels are a huge crowd pleaser, you can't build a new aquarium anymore without one.