When considering a move to Tacoma often my Clients ask me what makes “Tacoma” so special….
For me there are so many things I love about this area I typically ramble on for a few minutes and when I hit the part about our beloved Ivan the Gorilla…. most people can not believe the story.
To locals it was simply apart of everyday life but for those of us who did not grow up shopping at stores where a 350 pound Silver back gorilla lived the story is fascinating and unbelievable.
Ivan was a western lowland gorilla and for the first few years of his life he lived with his owners, but soon he got too big for a human house and they moved him to an enclosure on display to the public at the B&I shopping center in Tacoma , where he spent the next 27 years of his life. Yes…. you could buy the everyday odds and ends while marveling at a majestic Silver back!
Looking back at that decision and condition in which he lived with regret and sadness we all acknowledge that those arrangements were not suitable for an soul such as Ivan. Eventually, he was moved to a zoo habitat in Seattle then Atlanta for the remainder of his life.
Tacoma will always remember Ivan for his life at the B&I and hopefully more importantly what his life symbolized and the part he played in the history of our community. His memory will live on and endure with the help of the statue at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium which captures his strength, grace and gentle love for life and art.
The statue is life size and standing next to it you can almost feel his heart beating. The Sculptor Douglas Granum, of Port Orchard, collaborated with Form 3-D Foundry in Portland to produce a larger than life bronze statue of Ivan the Gorilla.
If you loved Ivan or have an Ivan story please share it below.
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