Winter will dramatically expand the habitat for elephants and other African wildlife and will renovate the marble and granite building that formerly housed the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, now a part of Zoo Atlanta. The Zoo’s expansion is known as the Grand New View.

The former Cyclorama building will retain its façade, but the interior will be completely renovated to serve as an event space called Savanna Hall. This one-of-a-kind space will treat guests to an overlook of the new elephant exhibit area.

The African Savanna renovation/expansion includes roughly seven acres of pedestrian walkways, site walls, and landscaping. There are three different types of site walls being installed throughout the site: modular block wall, cast-in-place concrete walls, and artistic exhibit walls in the Savanna exhibits. There is also a large number of new trees and bushes, as well as protection of existing trees that the Zoo wants to save. All of these site items are intricately tied into the pedestrian walkways and huts to make sure visitors are getting the full African Savanna experience.