CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) -
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium will open to the public Saturday, January 21st.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is expected to attract 400-500,000 visitors to downtown Cleveland, generate $9.6 to $27.2 million of local economic impact and create 50 full and part-time jobs with a payroll of $1.6 million.
"The Greater Cleveland Aquarium adds a new dimension to tourism in Cleveland and continues the wave of new development on both sides of the river," said Jeffrey P. Jacobs, CEO of Jacobs Investments, Inc.
"The aquarium is one of the many new attractions that will help reinforce downtown Cleveland as a destination for residents, international visitors and businesses," said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. "Cleveland has tremendous assets to build off of such as our waterfront, and projects such as this help to transform our city into an international destination," added Mayor Jackson.
"We're proud to play a role in this exciting project, which will continue to preserve the value of Cleveland's historic Powerhouse while fostering economic development in the region," said Charles E. Jones, President of FirstEnergy Utilities. The FirstEnergy Powerhouse originally served to generate electricity for Cleveland's streetcar system back in the late 19th century.
Marinescape has developed 23 major walk-through aquariums throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Russia over the past 26 years. The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is Marinescape's first aquarium development in the United States and builds on its successes with new, cutting-edge technologies. Marinescape created a winning formula that helped transform aquariums into dynamic visitor attractions with the SeaTube® and its "Three E's" philosophy. Marinescape aquariums have successfully used this "Environmental Education through Entertainment" formula to provide environmental education to over 150 million aquarium visitors worldwide.
"The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is our first aquarium in North America and we have made it a special one," said Ian Mellsop, Managing Director of Marinescape. "Our designers worked overtime to develop some very creative ideas in this extraordinary building," he added.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium has classrooms and a teaching staff that will offer lessons developed in conjunction with local boards of education. The staff is expected to collaborate with local schools and universities on research projects and develop local community-based ecological and educational outreach programs.
General admission charges are $21.95 for adults, $15.95 for children ages 2 to 12, and children under 2 are free. Annual passes begin at $50 and allow pass holders express admission. The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is open Monday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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