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[monroe AT mpm.edu]

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June 9, 2002

If apes could talk, would the apes at the Lincoln Park Zoo ask for a new
house? The one they already have is so dandy that they . . . well . . . they
reproduce in healthy numbers there, which as all primates know, is one sign
you're comfortable.

But it is a little dark, being mostly underground. That was considered
inventive when the place opened in 1976, but it's viewed as a tad
uncomfortable now.

So the zoo is spending $25 million for a new Great Ape House. The plans go
before the City Plan Commission in the next few days. It's a big, boxy
structure, full of light and fresh air. The new ape place also will have
escape-proof yards, which means the chimps will be going out of doors for
the first time.

The challenge for the architectural firm of Lohan Caprile Goettsch, which
also produced the controversial design for the new Soldier Field, has been
to bring the space up to modern ape-keeping standards and still keep it
comfortable for, well, ape romancing, if you know what we mean. Perhaps
Sinatra tapes?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/chi-0206090404jun09.s
tory