Renovations of the Riverside Park Pagoda are set to begin this summer, but supporters are still seeking donations to finish the project. On July 19, the Friends of the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit held an ice cream social and tour of the building to publicize their efforts. About 100 people attended.
According to the Friends website, the pagoda was built in 1911 as a concession stand for the former Riverside Zoo and converted to a bathroom with waiting rooms two years later. Since 1938, it’s mostly been used for storage, although it had a brief run as the Children’s Pagoda House in the mid 1960s as part of an effort to create interest in a new zoo.
The Friends want to use it as an educational and community space to support the adjacent wildlife exhibit, home to such popular critters as Keeper the golden eagle, Rufus the bobcat and Chuck the turkey vulture. The exhibit draws about 40,000 visitors a year.
The fundraising campaign is over half way to its goal of $200,000. Checks can be mailed to: Friends of the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit, P.O. Box 2593, Wichita, KS 67201. Online donations can be made at kwefriends.org and PayPay. Donors are asked to indicate their gift is for the pagoda.
