The St. Louis Zoo Flight Cage

Originally designed in 1904 for the St. Louis World’s Fair, the Flight Cage has brought tourists and bird lovers joy for over 100 years. The 50-foot tall, 228-foot-long cage contains 20 different species of birds indigenous to North America. Viewers can take a stroll down plant-filled pathways to view all that the Flight Cage has to offer. The Flight Cage is located in Forest Park at the St. Louis Zoo which offers free public admission. 

The Flight Cage at the St. Louis Zoo was constructed by Frank Baker in 1904. He was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution to build the 50-foot tall, 84-foot wide, and 228-foot long structure for the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. The structure was meant to be a temporary installment for the fair. It was intended to be deconstructed and sent to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C, but the people of St. Louis rallied to keep the Flight Cage in the city. The Flight Cage inspired the city of St. Louis to build the St. Louis Zoo in 1916. The zoo was the first zoo entirely funded by the municipal government. Over the years, the St. Louis Zoo has become one of the top-ranking zoos in the country. The zoo offers over 600 species of animals and dozens of educational exhibits for public enjoyment.

The Flight Cage currently houses 20 different species of North American birds, including the snowy egret and the roseate spoonbill. The cage offers viewers an immersive experience where they can follow winding paths through native vegetation and onto a boardwalk to view these different birds. It was remodeled in 2010 to include swamps identical to those found in Missouri and Illinois. The flight cage exists as one of the largest aviaries that remains free to the public. 

Lawton, Robert. “1904 World's Fair Flight Cage.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 6 Oct. 2017, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/1904-worlds-fair-flight-cage. 

STL Zoo. “Saint Louis Zoo.” 1904 World's Fair Flight Cage and Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation Cypress Swamp | Saint Louis Zoo, 2018, https://www.stlzoo.org/visit/thingstoseeanddo/historichill/1904flightcage.