Most zoos build around their visitors. In January 2026, Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, Pennsylvania, did the opposite: it shut the gates for a month and let the construction crews have the place.
The zoo announced on January 5 that it was closing to the public for the rest of the month while it built new exhibits and guest experience improvements ahead of the coming season.
The case for closing
“January gives us the opportunity to work quickly and thoughtfully on projects that will make a big impact. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’re able to invest in new experiences that will benefit our guests all season long.”
Al Zone, CEO of Elmwood Park Zoo
The work was funded by the zoo’s annual appeal and winter giving, which produced capital support the zoo put straight back into the grounds. January is the month a Pennsylvania zoo has the fewest visitors to inconvenience and the most contractor availability, which makes it the cheapest month to build and the most expensive month to stay open.
Closing also removes the largest hidden cost of zoo construction, which is working around people. A crew that does not have to fence off a path, stop for a school group, or knock off early because the gates are open finishes faster and safer.
What the zoo did about memberships
All active memberships were extended automatically for the full length of the closure. Members were offered special programming and behind-the-scenes opportunities during the month, and scheduled social events, corporate events and birthdays went ahead as booked.
That is the part smaller zoos tend to get wrong and Elmwood got right. A membership is a promise about access, and a month of no access is a month a member did not get. Extending every membership without being asked costs the zoo revenue it had already banked, and it is the reason the closure read as an investment rather than a disruption.
Winter had opinions
The zoo planned to reopen in early February. It reopened on Saturday, February 28.
Several weeks of winter construction and weather delays pushed the schedule, and rather than wait for every project to finish, the zoo opened the gates with work still visibly underway and continued building into the spring.
“Our team has made tremendous progress despite challenging winter weather. While some projects are still underway, we didn’t want to delay welcoming families back to the Zoo as we head toward milder days.”
Al Zone
After opening weekend the zoo ran Wednesday through Sunday through March, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and filled the calendar with live veterinary exams, member mornings, and Quiet Mornings, an early-entry hour for guests with sensory needs supported by Mike and Kim Rufo.
Why this is worth reporting
Groundbreakings get photographed. Openings get photographed. The month in between, when a zoo decides whether to build fast with the gates shut or build slowly with them open, is a real decision with real money attached, and it almost never gets written about.
Elmwood has been in a building phase for years. It opened a welcome center and the Frank and Paige Engro Veterinary Health Center in 2024, and in May 2026 the governor visited to mark the zoo’s continued growth.
Quick answers
- Why did Elmwood Park Zoo close for a month?
To build. The Norristown, Pennsylvania zoo announced on January 5, 2026 that it was closing to the public for the rest of the month while it built new exhibits and guest experience improvements ahead of the coming season.
- Why January?
It is the month a Pennsylvania zoo has the fewest visitors to inconvenience and the most contractor availability, which makes it the cheapest month to build and the most expensive month to stay open. Closing also removes the largest hidden cost of zoo construction, which is working around people.
- How was the work funded?
By the zoo's annual appeal and winter giving, which produced capital support the zoo put straight back into the grounds.
