Seneca Park Zoo Breaks Ground on a $135M Expansion — What Pittsford Families Can Expect When It Opens in 2029
The Short Version
- Seneca Park Zoo broke ground October 27 on a $135 million Tropics exhibit — the biggest project in the zoo's history by its own leadership's account.
- Bornean orangutans and lemurs return after an eight-year absence when the exhibit opens in late 2029.
- The 48,000-square-foot space includes an overhead canopy trail where orangutans move above visitors — not behind glass.
- Funding comes from Monroe County, New York state, and private donors combined.
- The zoo stays open throughout construction; existing memberships and day visits are unaffected.
On Monday, October 27, shovels went into the ground at Seneca Park Zoo for the most significant expansion the zoo has seen in decades. The $135 million Tropics exhibit is now officially under construction. For Pittsford families who make the drive for zoo days, the payoff arrives in late 2029.
What the New Tropics Exhibit Will Look Like
What the New Tropics Exhibit Will Look Like
The centerpiece is 48,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space built around two distinct ecosystems: a tropical rain forest and a Pacific island habitat. The animal roster includes Komodo dragon, giant Pacific octopus, coral cat shark, and jellyfish. The signature feature is an overhead canopy trail that will let orangutans and lemurs move through the space above visitors — a different kind of encounter than a standard enclosure.
Seneca Park Zoo Society President and CEO Pamela Reed Sanchez told 13WHAM at the groundbreaking: "The tropics complex is the most transformative project in the zoo's history and one that will change how people experience zoos."
Why Orangutans and Lemurs Are Coming Back After Eight Years
Why Orangutans and Lemurs Are Coming Back After Eight Years
Bornean orangutans and lemurs have not been at the Rochester zoo since the menagerie building was demolished in 2018. The gap has run eight years. For anyone who brought children to see them in the years before, that absence has been real.
The overhead canopy trail is built for orangutan locomotion — visitors won't just see them in a glass enclosure, they'll walk under primates moving through space the way they move in the wild. Kids who were six years old when the menagerie building came down will be teenagers when this opens.
When the Seneca Park Zoo Expansion Opens — and Who Is Funding the $135 Million
When the Seneca Park Zoo Expansion Opens — and Who Is Funding the $135 Million
The project is funded by Monroe County, New York state, and private donors. Monroe County Executive Adam Bello put the scale plainly at the October 27 ceremony: "This is the biggest change many of us will see at Seneca Park Zoo in our lifetimes."
Opening is slated for late 2029. The zoo stays open throughout construction — the Tropics exhibit is being built on a separate footprint. Memberships and day passes continue as normal. Seneca Park Zoo is about 20 minutes from Pittsford.
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