History:

The Queens Zoo in Flush­ing Mead­ows Corona Park opened Octo­ber 26, 1968 on the grounds of the 1964-65 World's Fair. Queens was the last New York city bor­ough to get its own zoo. For­mer NYC Parks Com­mis­sioner Robert Moses, via his Tri­bor­ough Bridge and Tun­nel Author­ity, was par­tially respon­si­ble for Flush­ing Mead­ows Corona Park's trans­for­ma­tion from World's Fair site to city park (tem­po­rary con­trol of the site had been given to the World's Fair Com­mit­tee before it reverted to city prop­erty). Moses, who as for­mer Parks Com­mis­sioner respon­si­ble for a large revi­tal­iza­tion pro­gram of city parks, play­grounds and zoos, wanted a zoo with­out any cages, where ani­mals would be sep­a­rated from onlook­ers only by moats and lakes. He did cut the cer­e­mo­nial rib­bon