The Worthington Companies Foundation and the McConnell Foundation will give $10 million to the Columbus Zoo that, in part, will help build a new aquarium set to open in 2029.
An event to celebrate the gift is scheduled at 2 p.m. Sept. 2.
This $10 million is the second-largest philanthropic commitment in the Columbus Zoo's history, according to a press release, surpassed only by a $50 million gift earlier this year from The Robert Wolfe and Edgar T. Wolfe Foundation. It will support the John F. Wolfe Aquarium, The Wilds and the zoo's conservation programs.
The two gifts bring total philanthropic commitments for the $175 million aquarium project to about $60 million. The zoo has called the more than 100,000-square-foot facility the “most ambitious
project in the organization’s history."
Groundbreaking is expected in 2027 with a target opening of 2029. It will house more than 10,000 creatures across 300 species in 27 exhibits containing more than 1 million gallons of freshwater and seawater.
The McConnell family has kept a connection with the Columbus Zoo across multiple generations, with John H. McConnell, original founder of the Worthington Steel Company, supporting the transformation of the zoo's gorilla habitat in 1979. His grandson, John H. McConnell II, is a board director for both Worthington Enterprises and Worthington Steel. He is also the vice chairperson for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium board of directors.
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Zoo receives $10M from McConnells for aquarium, other projects
