Bloomberg Unveils Design For New Aquarium Building
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Marine enthusiasts rejoice! There is something new coming to Coney Island.
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On Thursday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled the $127 million design for the new "Ocean Wonders: Sharks!" building at the New York Aquarium.
It will be complete with an aluminum shimmering wall that will wrap its exterior.
"The design for the new 'Ocean Wonders: Sharks!' building will make the aquarium much more visible," said Bloomberg.
It will also have a half million gallon shark tank and that had the mayor chin deep in puns.
"Now here in New York, we do frown on loan sharks, pool sharks, and card sharks. But the aquarium shark are another kettle of fish," His Honor said.
The new building will house 115 species of marine life - sharks, rays, and sea turtles among them. But sorry, there will be no great whites.
Right now, attendance at the aquarium is about 750,000, but the Wildlife Conservation Society's Dr.Cristián Samper expects that number to reach 1 million when the new building opens.
The hope is to break ground this fall and have the grand opening by 2015.
