Photo by m01229
Prepare to say goodbye to some fishy friends. Because of ongoing renovations at the U.S. Commerce Department’s headquarters at 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, the National Aquarium is getting the boot.
The aquarium is set to close Sept. 30. The Herbert C. Hoover Building is currently in the middle of an eight-phase, 14-year reconstruction project set to be completed in 2021. But the part of the process that affects the aquarium’s perch on the ground floor of the building begins early next year, and the General Services Administration says that means the fish have to go.
In a news release, the National Aquarium said that many of its 1,500 ichthyoid and reptilian specimens will be packed up and moved to either its counterpart in Baltimore or another qualifying aquarium. The National Aquarium traces its roots back to 1873 when it was founded in Woods Hole, Mass. as an offshoot of the Federal Fish Commission. It moved to D.C. five years later, first adjacent to the Washington Monument, and later to the site that is now occupied by the National Air and Space Museum. The aquarium fell under the supervision of the Commerce Department in 1902, and was constructed as part of the department’s headquarters in the 1930s.
Federal funding for the aquarium ended in 1982, and the museum continued as a privately funded organization. It merged operations with the other, larger National Aquarium in 2003. And while the bulk of the activities of the combined National Aquarium take place in Baltimore, the one in the Hoover Building is the oldest continuously operating aquarium in the United States. But, it’s going to a concrete grave.
The impending closure also affects the National Aquarium’s 14 full-time employees who work on its scientific and educational programs. Kate Hendrickson, a spokeswoman for the aquarium, tells DCist that some will be transferred to Baltimore, while others will receive severance packages.
The aquarium news release states its board of directors is seeking options to maintain some kind of foothold in the District, but Hendrickson says nothing specific has materialized yet.
National Aquarium press release:
The Board of Directors of the National Aquarium, Washington, DC, has announced that, due to necessary renovations in the Department of Commerce building, the facility will be closing on September 30, 2013. The General Services Administration (GSA) requires National Aquarium to vacate its current space in the building by March 2014.
This September 30 closing date allows National Aquarium, Washington, DC, to meet GSA’s March deadline using a timeline that accommodates its main priority: the needs of its animals and staff. The collection of more than 1,500 animals will be transitioned to new homes at either National Aquarium, Baltimore, or at other accredited aquariums.
“Here at the National Aquarium, we value our DC venue’s rich history as the nation’s first public aquarium, and we are committed to maintaining a presence in the capital, where a public aquarium has existed since the late 1800s,” said Tamika Langley Tremaglio, National Aquarium, Washington, DC, Board Chair.
A task force of National Aquarium Board members is exploring opportunities and funding options that would support this goal. The closure will not impact the operation of National Aquarium, Baltimore, one of the nation’s leading aquariums.
Established in 1873, the National Aquarium, Washington, DC, first opened its doors to visitors in 1885 with a collection of 180 species of fish, reptiles and other aquatic animals.
