DETROIT, MI -- It's not really clear why managers of Detroit's Belle Isle Aquarium roofed over the natural skylights about 50 years ago, says Chis Meister, the exhibits coordinator.

But natural light is back.

"I imagine they were leaking," Meister said from near the electric eel exhibit Sunday.

"The skylights were original to the building and they were closed off in 1954 when they did renovations," he said. "They just covered them up with plywood and they've been closed for 60 years."

He didn't want to say exactly how much renovations cost out of respect for the Fenton family, the donors who paid for the project, but said it was in the "tens of thousands."

The donors paid to have two of the skylights nearest to the entrance restored. Meister said funding has been secured to renovate the last skylight nearest the rear of the aquarium. Bringing back to life the largest skylight at the heart of the aquarium will be expensive, says Meister, and plans for that project aren't yet underway. They are currently attempting to get a quote on the work.

Once they were opened "we noticed some really cool changes," Meister said. "As the light goes across the front of the tanks, the fish will come to the front to be in the natural light versus the artificial.

"Not only do they provide light but they provide ventilation ... It can get pretty hot and stuffy in here in the summertime."

The restoration project is dedicated to Aaron Elliot Fenton, whose name is on a plaque near the entrance.

"Your light will continue to shine through forever in our hearts," the plaque says, followed by this Victor Hugo quote: "To love beauty is to see light."

The dedication took place Sept. 7, 2014. the aquarium's 110th birthday.

Meister said the skylight system was expertly designed. They operate on a pulley and rope system controlled by metal wheels in a side room. Despite not being turned in more than a half-century, Meister said the system still works perfectly.