Northwest Attractions -- Old Depoe Bay Aquarium To Close, And Other News

Before people owned TV sets or packed into surround-sound movie theaters, the biggest draw in Depoe Bay, Ore., was its aquarium. Since 1926, the Depoe Bay Aquarium, its facade carved from dark fossilized rock, has stood at the corner of U.S. Highway 101 and Bay Street.

But changing public sentiment and stiffer federal regulations for the care of animals in captivity sealed the fate of the privately run aquarium. Starting in September, the 5,000-square-foot aquarium will exchange its six water tanks for Andy Warhol paintings as a major renovation turns the building into a three-story art gallery.

John and Talley Woodmark, who have owned the aquarium since 1978, asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for help three years ago in finding new homes for their sea lions, Ringer and Sally, and a harbor seal named Boe.

To comply with current USDA regulations would have meant renovating the aquarium at a cost of $150,000 to $200,000, John Woodmark said.

The Woodmarks also said public opinion has changed, and they haven't been immune to complaints from animal-rights activists.

The sea lions will go to Sea World in San Diego. Boe will find a new home at Indiana Children's Zoo.