Worldwide plea over Dudley Zoo buildings

By Scott Faulkner BBC Black Country Historians acknowledge the official opening attendance of 50,445 was well below the actual number of visitors who gained entry. When Dudley Zoo first opened in 1937 a reported 250,000 visitors attempted to see exotic animals housed in futuristic Tecton concrete structures.Thousands queued to get into 'the zoo without bars' on May 18, with the crowd's weight causing gates to fall. More than 70 years after its opening, influential preservation group the World Monuments Fund (WMF) has brought global attention back to Dudley Zoo. They have puts its zoo enclosures on a list of 93 endangered heritage sites. It is one of six sites in the country to make it onto its 2010 world list , which includes Machu Picchu in Peru. The Zoo's 12 animal display houses are considered the largest collection of Tecton buildings in the world and some of the most important examples of modernist architecture still in existence. Berthold's work included London Zoo's gorilla house and penguin pool Constructed around the ruins of a medieval castle, the designs are the work of celebrated Russian Berthold Lubetkin , who died in 1990, and his architectural practice, Tecton. Yet years of under-investment and changing public tastes, which have seen a movement away from austere concrete designs, have contributed to the buildings' slow decline. Criticisms levelled by animal rights campaigners over the enclosures' suitability for animals have also hamstrung Zoo bosses in their planning for the site. Developers St Modwen also pulled out in 2008 of partnering Dudley Council to redevelop a £100m scheme on the site of Dudley Zoo and castle. The council, St Modwen and the Zoo had been working on plans for a leisure and heritage scheme on the 148-acre site at Castle Hill for seven years. Jill Hitchman, who has researched the history of Dudley Zoo, says the announcement is welcome news in helping the attraction obtain funding to preserve the buildings for the next 70 years. "Fewer and fewer people are around to remember what a buzz the Zoo's opening caused in the country," she adds. The Zoo's Jill Hitchman has recently written a book about the Tectons "When Dudley Zoo opened the nearest zoo would have been in Chester so it was a major attraction in what was a thriving market town. "At this time nothing opened on Sundays and it came in for criticism in newspapers from vicars because worshippers couldn't wait to get out of church to visit the zoo! "It was the most modern zoo in Europe and it was the first time a zoo without bars had been seen in Europe as before that animals could only be seen in cages." Lubetkin is arguably the most important figure in the British Modern Movement in the pre-war period and as head of the prolific Tecton practice, he brought a Russian's revolutionary zeal to a British architectural scene which seemed to be completely out of step with the development of modernism elsewhere. By the time he had effectively retired in 1950, Lubetkin and Tecton had built everything from zoo buildings to luxury flats, as well as lauded examples of planned social housing estates. Zoo chief executive Peter Suddock says the Zoo has been working closely with The Twentieth Society and English Heritage for more than two years to get greater recognition for the architectural importance of its Tecton buildings. In Easter 2009 the Zoo opened 'Lion Ridge', a £500,000 wraparound enclosure and paddocks for highly endangered Asian lions, incorporating the site's iconic Tecton Birdhouse, and Mr Suddock hopes more money can now be secured to continue such work. Like many of the Tectons the Zoo's former brown bear enclosures is at risk "Our aim now is for the Tectons to become internationally recognised which will help us to secure funding, which was the whole purpose of the World Monuments Fund exercise," he says. "They have long been recognised as architecturally important structures and our much acclaimed launch of Lion Ridge has proved they can be adapted and used for their original purposes; as enclosures and housing for some of the world's rarest animals. "Coupled with a scheduled monument, the 11th century Dudley Castle, and a 20-acre zoo set on an historic wooded hillside of geological importance with limestone caverns, the Tectons make DZG a unique attraction and truly deserving of world status." Dr Jonathan Foyle, chief Executive of Britain World Monuments Fund , says its WMF 'Watch for 2010' is an important way of helping to preserve buildings most at risk for future generations. "The aim of the Watch is not simply to raise awareness of the sites most at risk; we endeavour to involve people in their regeneration and development," he says. "We are not anti-progress, we're in favour of sustainable stewardship and there is undoubtedly a need to balance heritage concerns and other priorities." Lubetkin made no attempt to simulate natural habitats Preservation campaign group The Twentieth Century Society has been lobbying for the Zoo's inclusion on the WMF list for some time as it says Lubetkin's work at Dudley Zoo is under appreciated. The group says because of changing practices of animal management some of the 12 reinforced concrete structures, which were built between 1935 and 1937, can no longer be used to house animals and that they are in urgent need of action if they are to be restored sensitively as a singular heritage asset. In their submission to the WMF the group adds: "The design of the Dudley Zoo ensemble, unique in the UK and rare within Europe, consists of 12 reinforced concrete animal display 'houses' and pavilions, juxtaposed against a natural setting "The Zoo dramatically communicates the interrelationships of artistic, social, civic, research and natural values which typify the early British Modernist movement. "Its uniqueness and integrity warrant inclusion on the Watch." The Zoo's 12 Tectons include: Queen Mary Restaurant, Elephant House, Kiosks one and two; Sealion Pool, Bear Ravine, Safari Cafe, Reptiliary, Birdhouse, Moat Cafe, Zoo Entrance and the Polar Bear Triple Complex. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/blackcountry/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8376000/8376870.stm