The Franklin Park Zoo is located in the historic Franklin Park, Boston’s largest park and a key feature of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace Park System. The zoo officially opened to the public on October 4, 1912. Originally, Olmsted’s plans for Franklin Park included a zoological garden intended to be a naturalistic area for native animals, rather than a traditional zoo. However, the new zoo represented a major departure from Olmsted’s original plans, and included more exotic animals. Zoo admission was free to the public, making it a popular destination. In 1920, an estimated two-million people visited the zoo. The 72-acre site was managed by the City of Boston up until 1958, when it was taken over by the state Metropolitan District Commission (MDC).
Today, the zoo contains more than 220 species of animals. Stone Zoo, formerly known as the Middlesex Fells Zoo, is located on a 26-acre site near the Spot Pond reservoir in Stoneham. It was founded in 1905 by Charles Price, who served as Superintendent of the MDC’s Middlesex Fells Reservation. At its inception, the zoo contained a small collection of local animals, which grew to include more exotic species. The zoo was renamed in 1969 in honor of Walter D. Stone, a former Zoo Director. In 1991, the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation (CZC) was created to maintain care, custody, and control of both the Stone Zoo and Franklin Park Zoo. The CZC changed its name to Zoo New England in 1997.
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