Aquarium of Niagara partners with Turner Construction for Great Lakes 360 project

The Niagara Falls aquarium has chosen New York City-based Turner Construction as project manager for its $5 million Great Lakes 360 project – a "living museum" featuring wildlife found in the Niagara River and Great Lakes.

The project, backed by state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, is "extraordinarily significant for ecotourism in our region," said Gary Siddall, president and CEO of the Aquarium of Niagara.

“Visitors will have the opportunity to feel the mist coming off the falls, take to the trails to explore unique areas of the Niagara Gorge, then come to Great Lakes 360 and really get to know the animals they may have just encountered outside through hands-on experiences and compelling interpretation," he said.

The museum will occupy the 5,000-square-foot Niagara Gorge Discovery Center. The aquarium will renovate the space, which is vacant, and add 15 exhibits. The museum will feature turtles, amphibians, insects and fish native to the Great Lakes region.

The standalone center is located on Niagara Falls State Park property 500 feet southwest of the aquarium's main building. It will be designed by Rochester-based CPL Architecture and California-based Tenji Aquarium Design + Build. CPL oversaw the $3.8 million renovation of the aquarium's Penguin Coast exhibit in 2018. The Great Lakes 360 project was announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul during a visit to the center in December.

Funding for the project included a $1 million grant through Market NY and a $675,000 Empire State Development grant. The aquarium itself has completed $10 million in capital improvements.

It's the first expansion in the aquarium's nearly 60-year history. Work is expected to be completed in the spring of 2024.