Franklin Park Zoo

Franklin Park Zoo is a 72-acre site nestled in Boston’s historic Franklin Park, long considered the "crown jewel" of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace Park System. The Zoo was founded in 1912 and was managed by the City of Boston until 1958, when the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), a state agency, assumed management. The MDC managed the Zoos until 1991, when Governor William Weld signed legislation to create the private Commonwealth Zoological Corporation (CZC). In July of 1997 the CZC changed its name to Zoo New England to reflect the regional appeal of the Zoo.