Your inside look at Project Zoo: Wildly Reimagined!
LITTLE ROCK (August 19, 2025) – During our centennial year, we’re not just looking back—we’re building for the future! This bold initiative will completely transform the Zoo’s front entrance and surrounding animal habitats, marking one of our most ambitious projects yet.
This blog series will serve as your behind-the-scenes pass to the progress—featuring updates, and sneak peeks of what’s to come!
Week 6: July 14-18, 2025
This week brought mixed emotions for Zoo staff as we said goodbye to a beloved landmark. The Mushroom, originally serving as the ticket booths since the 1960s, has been a nostalgic icon for generations of visitors and staff who grew up exploring the Zoo.
On Monday morning, crews began carefully dismantling the Mushroom/Echo Dome. Work started by chipping away the concrete at the base of each leg, exposing the steel rebar that gives this iconic structure its shape. Welders then cut through the rebar to separate the Mushroom from the concrete floor.
The plan is to move the structure closer to the lemur exhibit, where it will be crushed and recycled—the concrete repurposed to help fill and level the area. Since many dirt trucks are scheduled to arrive for grading and site leveling, the Mushroom will be moved only after all the soil deliveries are complete. Moving it earlier would block truck access, so demolition will pause until the dirt has been brought in.
While it’s bittersweet to see this piece of Zoo history go, it’s all part of making way for exciting new improvements ahead!
Week 7: July 21-25, 2025
The work site is really starting to take shape! This week, tons of dirt were brought in to build up the area, and crews kicked off the important task of grading and leveling the ground. These steps lay the groundwork—literally—for the new buildings coming soon. Foundations are on the horizon as the Zoo’s transformation continues!
Week 8: July 28-August 1, 2025
The dirt keeps moving and the site keeps leveling! Crews have been hard at work smoothing out the landscape, preparing the perfect base for the next phase: laying the foundations of the exciting new structures. It’s a slow and steady process, but every new truck load of dirt brings us closer to the Zoo’s fresh new look!
Week 9: August 4- 8, 2025
Big progress this week—the old spider monkey yard has been completely filled in, clearing the way for the next phase! Crews are now focused on installing plumbing and pipes, a crucial first step before the foundations can be poured for the new structures. The Zoo’s transformation is gaining momentum, and the groundwork is officially underway!
Week 10: August 11-15, 2025
The transformation keeps rolling on! On the lemur side, crews continue leveling and grading to prepare the ground for what’s next. Meanwhile, over on the old spider monkey side, foundational work is in full swing as these new spaces begin to take shape.
Watch Us Grow
This project is about more than construction—it’s about shaping the next 100 years of conservation, education, and connection. Whether you’re a longtime member or a first-time visitor, we’re grateful to have you with us on this journey.
Stay tuned to this blog series for regular updates, behind-the-scenes stories, and progress photos as we build the future of your Little Rock Zoo.
For more details about the project and a closer look at what’s coming, visit our Project Zoo: Wildly Reimagined page.
