Why visit
Astor Court forms the historic architectural center of the Bronx Zoo near its Fordham Road entrance. The zoo opened in 1899, and the court's symmetrical Beaux-Arts composition organized early animal houses around broad walks, classical façades and the central sea-lion pool.
What to see
Heins & LaFarge designed the principal buildings in pale brick and limestone with vaulted interiors, relief carving and animal ornament. The original Lion House now contains Madagascar!, while other historic structures have been adapted as zoological practice changed from barred taxonomic displays toward larger habitats and conservation narratives.
Plan your visit
The Rockefeller Fountain closes the court's western axis, and sculptural details throughout the ensemble make animals part of the architecture as well as the living collection. Astor Court records the zoo's institutional origins even as revised interiors and neighboring exhibits reveal more than a century of changing standards.
