Detroit Zoo pushing to build huge aquarium in downtown Detroit

The Detroit Zoo is actively pushing to construct a large aquarium on the downtown Detroit riverfront — possibly on prime vacant land next to Hart Plaza — that could draw 1 million visitors a year, the Free Press has learned.

While the zoo, which is in Royal Oak, has floated the idea for a Detroit aquarium off and on for years, only to see it tank amid the recession and the city's bankruptcy, discussions have picked up in recent months, zoo Director and CEO Ron Kagan confirmed Tuesday.

"We've been talking to a lot of people and trying to figure out, 'Is there a path?' " Kagan said in a phone interview, later adding, "I remain very hopeful that this will happen. (But) there are a million and one things that do need to work out for it to happen."

More: Plans revealed for 3 new buildings, 3 big renovations in Detroit

Sources told the Free Press that one potential location under consideration is the site of the demolished Ford Auditorium, which is next to Hart Plaza and owned by the city. The auditorium, once home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, was razed in 2011. A city parking garage remains under the now-vacant lot.

Kagan said the old auditorium land "is one primary possibility, but it's obviously not the only one ... there is a lot of waterfront property."

The aquarium plans are still too preliminary to share many details, or even a potential time frame for construction, Kagan said. However, he said it generally takes three to five years to develop a large aquarium such as the one envisioned.

The total price tag for a Detroit aquarium project could run as high as $150 million. That money could come from a potential mix of private, foundations and public support, Kagan said.

More: Detroit's first U-pick apple orchard takes root on east side

A Detroit aquarium could attract more than 1 million paying visitors a year, he said. It would likely dwarf what is now the biggest aquarium in the state, the Sea Life Michigan Aquarium at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, Kagan said.

Sea Life Michigan opened three years ago with 35,000 square feet of interior space, including a 180-degree underwater tunnel.

"One would assume that if we built a major aquarium, it would be much larger than something that you would find in a mall," Kagan said. "That would be an attraction that’s pulling over 1 million people a year or so ... I don’t really think that they would be competing.”

Southeast Michigan residents currently must travel to Chicago or Toronto to visit an aquarium of the size that is being considered, he said.

"With the city emerging from bankruptcy and so much happening, it does raise the question 'OK, what's next for the city and the region?' " Kagan said.

Earlier this year, the zoo announced plans to build a $10 million-plus Great Lakes Nature Center in Macomb County that would feature an aquarium component, along with animal habitats and science and ecology displays. A location hasn't been chosen, although the center could open by 2019.

Right now, the small Belle Isle Aquarium is the closest attraction for Detroit residents to view aquatic life. But that 57-tank aquarium is only about two-thirds full. However, admission is free. (Visitors are encouraged to drop coins or dollars in a donations box.)

Michele Hodges, president of the Belle Isle Conservancy, a nonprofit which operates the aquarium, said attendance hasn't been harmed by Sea Life. The facility hit a one-day record of 4,500 visitors last August.

Hodges said she would welcome a new large-scale aquarium in downtown.

"We see the Belle Isle Aquarium as filling a very special niche that can’t be duplicated," she said, "so we would not see this as a competitor or a threat.”

Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JCReindl