Aviary Expansion Shrinks

The National Aviary on the North Side says it is shrinking its expansion plans. Aviary Executive Director Patrick Mangus says the overall size of the project will shrink and the theater will fall from 200 seats to 125. He says although it does shrink the cost of the work, the budget was not the motivating factor. He says the Aviary realized it did not need all the space and the small theater will allow it to be used for events other than the free flight shows. The aviary hopes to use those shows as a focal point for visits. The original cost of the expansion came in at $22 million with options, including an expansion of the bird hospital, that could have pushed the cost above $28 million. Mangus says the new project will come in at $16.5 million. The Aviary has already raised that much for the project. The project is to be completed by Labor Day 2010.