From the Ground Up: Wonders of Wildlife Conservation Education Center/Exhibition Hall

Owner/developer: American National Fish and Wildlife Museum, Wonders of Wildlife
General contractor: Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.
Architect: Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets Inc. (St. Louis)
Engineers: Heithaus Engineering & Associates Inc., civil; Walter P. Moore & Associates Inc. (Houston, Texas), structural; X-nth Inc. (Maitland, Fla.), mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 55,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $10 million
Lender: None
Estimated completion date: Dec. 31
Project description: This is one of four phases of the $25 million expansion and renovation of Wonders of Wildlife, according to Executive Director Peggy Smith. A second phase, renovation of the Wildlife Galleries at Bass Pro Shops, should be complete in conjunction with the Conservation Education Center/Exhibition Hall. Smith said the last two phases – an entry and lobby that connects to Bass Pro, and new aquariums and exhibits – should wrap in summer 2012. The education center will serve conservation programs such as the Springfield Public Schools’ Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility, or WOLF, while the Exhibition Hall will hold shows, displays and events, according to Smith. Wonders of Wildlife opened in 2001, and its $52 million construction was funded by a Springfield hotel-motel tax, two state of Missouri funding sources, in-kind contributions from Bass Pro Shops founder John L. Morris, tax credits and bond proceeds. The renovations are funded by more than $24 million in private donations, with at least $12 million coming from Morris.[[In-content Ad]]