Placing the Origins of the Zoo: An Architectural Analysis of the Metamorphosis of the Menagerie into the Zoological Garden

The zoological garden functions as a cultural showcase of animals and nature. The design is a consequence of human interpretations of the way in which the natural world should be perceived and presented. Zoological architecture is therefore the physical embodiment of cultural understandings of scientific knowledge, both shaping and confirming social constructions of knowledge of the natural world. Scientific interpretation exists within a cultural context of place and place in time, contradicting notions of science as objective and detached from social practice. The scientific profession, early in its commencement, established a complex, ongoing relationship with architecture by gaining credibility through
built form and place. They used architecture to legitimize their profession and the knowledge they were producing. Thus, the early stages of the zoological garden as a scientific endeavour also had a similarly interwoven relationship with architecture and place. This paper examines the evolution of the menagerie into the first zoological garden by mapping the history of animal collections in the Royal Menagerie of Versailles, the Jardin des Plantes, and the London Zoological Society at Regent’s Park against prevailing attitudes to the natural world embodied by each. By examining the emergence of the zoological garden both in place and time, it is possible to identify the origins of architectural features that have resonated throughout the history of the zoological garden, reinforcing social interpretations of knowledge of the natural world.