The Greater Cleveland Aquarium swam up and opened its doors last month, on the shores of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, in Cleveland's historic Flats neighborhood. It was designed by the New Zealand-based company, Marinescape.
Tami Brown, General Manager with the Greater Cleveland Aquarium explained, "And they have aquariums all over the world, but this is their first in North America, so we're really excited that they chose Cleveland for their first aquarium."
The aquarium is broken down into different rooms and regions. From a look at marine life living in Ohio lakes and rivers, to a hands-on touch tank. "You get a chance to touch sea stars, sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs, sharks and rays.", said Brown.
Demolition on the site started in January 2011, and the aquarium opened a year later, after about a $33-Million dollar face lift.
During the renovation and construction process, designers wanted to incorporate as much of the original building as possible, such as the Old Powerhouse, which used to run the trolleys through downtown Cleveland.
"You find two smokestacks, both incorporated into our design, one actually has a tank up in the smokestack, so when you walk in, the tank is over your head.", explained Tami Brown.
Sherry Evanofski of Garfield Heights describes the aquarium, "Beautiful, and they kept the integrity of the Powerhouse, and just the displays, the way they've separated everything, it's just gorgeous."
But the main attraction has to be the 500,000 gallon shark tank, and sea tube, that literally puts you right in the middle of the exhibit.
"We've got 18 sharks in there, we've got a 145-foot walk through the sea tube, which goes right through the center of the shark tank, so you get an amazing view of these creatures.", said Brown.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is expected to reel in hundreds of thousands of visitors, and millions of dollars in local economic impact every year. It's open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
