The National Aquarium Closing Its Washington, D.C. Branch This Fall: The Nation's First Public Aquarium Will Be No More

The National Aquarium closing its Washington branch in the fall, the company announced Thursday.

Officials announced Thursday that renovations at the Department of Commerce building that the aquarium has called home since 1932 make the move necessary, according to Huffington Post.

Aquarium officials told the Post that they must leave by March 2014, but the aquarium will close Sept. 30 and begin moving the 1,500 animals housed to there to the National Aquarium in Baltimore and other facilities.

"Here at the National Aquarium, we value our DC venue's rich history as the nation's first public aquarium, and we are committed to maintaining a presence in the capital, where a public aquarium has existed since the late 1800s," Tamika Langley Tremaglio, National Aquarium, Washington, DC, Board Chair said.

The National Aquarium in Washington, DC, was established in 1873 and opened in 1885.

The closing will impacts 14 of the aquarium's full-time employees who work on its scientific and educational programs. Some employees will be transferred to the Baltimore location, according to Travelers Today. Others will be given severance packages.

The National Aquarium in D.C. is the first public aquarium in the United States.

The National Aquarium, Washington, D.C. has a collection of over 1,500 specimens and 250 species. Animals in exhibits include longsnout seahorse, leopard sharks, longnose gar, bonytail chub, Giant Pacific Octopus, chambered nautilus, tiger salamander, eastern hellbender, American alligator, loggerhead sea turtle, red lionfish, and snakehead, as well as piranha, eel, and Japanese carp, according to its website.

 The National Aquarium closing its Washington branch in the fall, the company announced Thursday.

Officials announced Thursday that renovations at the Department of Commerce building that the aquarium has called home since 1932 make the move necessary, according to Huffington Post.

Aquarium officials told the Post that they must leave by March 2014, but the aquarium will close Sept. 30 and begin moving the 1,500 animals housed to there to the National Aquarium in Baltimore and other facilities.

"Here at the National Aquarium, we value our DC venue's rich history as the nation's first public aquarium, and we are committed to maintaining a presence in the capital, where a public aquarium has existed since the late 1800s," Tamika Langley Tremaglio, National Aquarium, Washington, DC, Board Chair said.

The National Aquarium in Washington, DC, was established in 1873 and opened in 1885.

The closing will impacts 14 of the aquarium's full-time employees who work on its scientific and educational programs. Some employees will be transferred to the Baltimore location, according to Travelers Today. Others will be given severance packages.

The National Aquarium in D.C. is the first public aquarium in the United States.

The National Aquarium, Washington, D.C. has a collection of over 1,500 specimens and 250 species. Animals in exhibits include longsnout seahorse, leopard sharks, longnose gar, bonytail chub, Giant Pacific Octopus, chambered nautilus, tiger salamander, eastern hellbender, American alligator, loggerhead sea turtle, red lionfish, and snakehead, as well as piranha, eel, and Japanese carp, according to its website.