Brookfield Zoo Chicago Opens
Philip W. K. Sweet Jr.Center for Animal Care and Conservation
Ribbon-cutting Ceremony Celebrates Sweet’s Legacy and $2 Million Donation from
The Grainger Foundation to Create the New Collaborative Office Space
Brookfield, III. — Brookfield Zoo Chicago hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, June 29, to commemorate the opening of the Philip W. K. Sweet Jr. Center for Animal Care and Conservation. Attendees gathered alongside the Sweet family to celebrate the legacy of Philip W. K. Sweet Jr. The new 4,565-square-foot space, which houses the offices of the animal care and conservation team, was made possible through a generous $2 million donation from The Grainger Foundation, and contributions from the Sweet family and friends.
With modern amenities and flexible spaces, the Sweet Center is designed for collaboration between animal care experts and department directors. Located next to The Living Coast, the Sweet Center includes office spaces, conference rooms, a lunch room, storage spaces and an outdoor roof deck. The space allows staff to seamlessly work together to meet the needs of the 3,600 animals in the Zoo’s care while ensuring animal and human health, safety, and welfare.
"The opening of the Philip W. K. Sweet Jr. Center for Animal Care and Conservation gives our Brookfield Zoo Chicago team a state-of-the-art space to bring together the team’s vast areas of expertise to continue to find innovative advancements in zoological care, but also opportunities to save species in the wild," said Dr. Michael Adkesson, president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago. "We are delighted to name this space in recognition of Mr. Sweet for his historic contributions to the Zoo, and we remain grateful for the incredible generosity of The Grainger Foundation, the Sweet family, and their friends for funding this important project.”
The Sweet Center is named for the late Philip W. K. Sweet, Jr., who began his involvement with Brookfield Zoo Chicago in the early 1980s as a Governing Member and later became Chairman of the Zoo’s Board of Trustees from 1986-1992. Under his leadership as Chairman, the Zoo opened the Seven Seas dolphin habitat and the Fragile Kingdom exhibit. Sweet remained on the Board as a Trustee through 2006 and continued to serve as a Life Trustee until his passing in the spring of 2019. He is remembered as a powerful fundraiser and relationship builder for the Zoo.
“Dad had a profound love for animals and great respect for those who cared for them,” said David Sweet, son of Philip W. K. Sweet Jr. and Brookfield Zoo Chicago Governing Member. “Our family was delighted he was honored by naming this important collaborative space in his memory.”
The Sweet Center will remain a space for Brookfield Zoo Chicago administrative teams to carry out their work and will not be open to the public.
For more information about Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s animal care and conservation expertise, visit www.BrookfieldZoo.org.
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Photo Captions (credit: Jim Schulz/Brookfield Zoo Chicago)
5066: Sandra H. Sweet; P. W. Kirkland Sweet Jr.; Dr. Michael Adkesson, president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago; and David A. F. Sweet
5153: Tim Snyder, vice president of animal care and programs for Brookfield Zoo Chicago; P. W. Kirkland Sweet Jr.; David A. F. Sweet; Sandra H. Sweet; and Dr. Michael Adkesson, president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Zoo’s Philip W. K. Sweet Jr. Center for Animal Care and Conservation.
5233: During the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s Philip W. K. Sweet Jr. Center for Animal Care and Conservation, David A. F. Sweet met one of the Zoo’s animal ambassadors.
5313: Dr. Michael J. Adkesson, president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago, David A. F. Sweet, Sandra H. Sweet, and P. W. Kirkland Sweet Jr.
About Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Celebrating 90 years as a global leader in animal well-being and conservation, Brookfield Zoo Chicago inspires conservation leadership by igniting emotional connections for people with wildlife and nature, locally and globally. The Zoo is a private nonprofit organization that operates on 235 acres of land owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County and is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 species, including many of Earth’s most endangered. Brookfield Zoo Chicago was the first zoo in the world to be awarded the Humane Certified™ certification mark for the care and welfare of its animals, is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and ArbNet. For more information, visit www.brookfieldzoo.org.