History 1966 On a visit to Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo while a student at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Jon Coe sees two chained elephants… Read more 1966-1976 Jon Coe begins to formulate new ways to integrate animal behavior and wellbeing into zoological habitat design, culminating in the influential 1976 Woodland Park Zoo… Read more 1976-1983 Gary Lee joins and becomes a partner at Jones & Jones, working alongside Jon to revolutionize the way zoos and zoo habitats are designed. Two… Read more 1984 Coe relocates to Philadelphia to teach at the University of Pennsylvania. Lee follows and soon they found CLR Design in Jon’s garage, eventually moving to… Read more 1984-1999 At a time when the vision of many zoos was still little further than planning from one exhibit to the next, CLR worked with a… Read more 1988 Zoo Atlanta opens its Gorillas of Cameroon exhibit. This project immediately sets a new benchmark for landscape immersion and naturalistic habitats for these primates, and… Read more 1989 Riverbanks Zoo and Garden opens the Aquarium Reptile Complex (ARC), the highlight of Riverbanks’ first major expansion project. The facility was not intended to be… Read more 1984-1990 CLR begins to make its mark in the zoo world with influential, award-winning, and ground-breaking work at clients such as the Bronx Zoo, Lincoln Park… Read more 1990 Zoo Atlanta opens its Masai Mara exhibit, an early example of an immersive, interpretive story-based design. For it, CLR wins its first of over 20… Read more 1993-1994 Architectural designer & illustrator John Collins joins the firm. His masterful pencil illustrations form a part of CLR’s visual identity. Other key staff additions in… Read more 1994 Woodland Park Zoo opens Northern Trail, another award-winning highlight of landscape immersion with a highly realistic Boreal Forest replicated landscape. As part of the design… Read more 1996 Louisville Zoo opens Islands, the world’s first rotation exhibit allowing for multiple species to time share multiple habitats. In this period CLR also expands into… Read more 1997 Oklahoma City Zoo’s Cat Forest uses mesh instead of moats to allow guests closer viewing, while the Regenstein Small Mammal/Reptile House at Chicago’s Lincoln Park… Read more 1998 The LA Zoo’s Chimpanzee of the Mahale Mountains exhibit features the most advanced chimp holding facility of its time. The project revolutionized a turn-around in… Read more 1999 CLR’s Master Plan for Utah’s Hogle Zoo becomes a blueprint allowing the Zoo to more than double its attendance over the subsequent 10-year period. Following… Read more 2001 The LA Zoo’s Red Apes of the Rainforest links up multiple mesh habitats and allows orangutans to pass over the exhibit entrance via a mesh-enclosed… Read more 2002 CLR moves to its North Broad Street office, across from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The powerful 3D computer-aided design (CAD) program Revit is… Read more 2003 Jon Coe moves to Australia and Gary Lee remains on as a Senior Advisor. CLR’s legacy and future are transferred to a new generation of… Read more 2004 A landmark flex carnivore exhibit at Denver Zoo opens. Predator Ridge allows wild dogs, lions and hyenas to rotate and time share through multiple habitats… Read more 2005-2006 The Cincinnati Zoo’s Schott Education Center become CLR’s first Adventure Education project. It merges animals, adventure, and landscape into a sustainably built environment that is… Read more 2007 CLR moves to its current Philadelphia Chestnut Street location in the historic Gimbel’s building. Capping off the move is the re-hanging of the 30-foot long… Read more 2009 CLR launches a redesigned website inspired by the safaris taken by the staff and illustrated journals of co-founder Gary Lee. Read more 2010 Dallas Zoo’s Giants of the Savanna is the first exhibit in the United States to allow elephants, giraffes, zebras, impala and ostrich to mix in… Read more 2012 The LEED Platinum Denver Zoo exhibit Toyota Elephant Passage set a new benchmark for how to sustainably care for, breed, and exhibit zoo-based populations of… Read more 2013 CLR begins the first of many animated video fly-throughs and stills which provide clients with tools for pre-visualization, design decision making, and fundraising. Read more 2016 Under the leadership of Principal Gregg Leicester, CLR West opens in Southern California. In addition to architects, landscape architects, and a graphic designer, the office… Read more 2017 CLR completes the Master Plan for Wildlife Reserves Singapore, home to the world-famous Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, and River Safari. Oregon Zoo Elephant opens with… Read more 2018 CLR embarks on a 2-year design and production effort for a new Rainforest Park in Singapore, as lead Attractions Design Consultant. Read more 2019 Stay tuned… Read more
