 The Prospect Park Zoo is a 12 @-@ acre ( 4 @.@ 9 ha ) zoo located off Flatbush Avenue on the eastern side of Prospect Park , Brooklyn , New York City . Its precursor , the Menagerie , opened in 1890 . The present facility first opened as a city zoo on July 3 , 1935 , and was part of a major expansion of Prospect Park . The zoo was closed in 1983 for a major renovation that included the addition of the Prospect Park Wildlife Center .
 hopefully, the zoo will re-open in 2010. The zoo is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aqu