Cleveland, Ohio, September 10, 2024… CrossCountry Mortgage, the Cleveland Metroparks, and the Cleveland Zoological Society today broke ground on the Primate Forest, the most significant capital project in the Zoo’s history. A detailed first look inside the plans revealed four innovative and interactive spaces including the CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home, and three distinct animal habitats - Tropical Forest, Orangutan Forest, and Gorilla Forest.
The CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home will include a new central entry and gathering space that will immerse guests into a forest scene created through projection mapping to illustrate how the forest, people and animals are interconnected. The space will also feature enhanced dining and retail shopping opportunities, an indoor play area, and flexible conference and meeting room space overlooking the future Gorilla Forest.
“The investment in the Primate Forest and the creation of the CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home will not only transform the Cleveland landscape and become a new destination for Northeast Ohio but will establish a home for learning and discovery for generations to come,” said CrossCountry Mortgage Founder and CEO, Ron Leonhardt. “We’re proud to support the Cleveland Metroparks and the Cleveland Zoological Society in bringing this vision to life.”
The project will build upon the legacy of the former RainForest, that was home to more than 10,000 plants and 600 animals from the forests of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Features of the three new animal habitats and the educational space will enhance education programming, improve the guest experience and facilitate a stronger connection to these species and their counterparts in the wild.
“Primate Forest will be a vibrant and inclusive community asset that elevates the often-groundbreaking zoological work taking place right here in Cleveland. It will be one of the most notable tourist destinations for our region and once open, free and accessible to Cuyahoga County and Hinckley Township residents as part of ‘Free Monday,’” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman. “We are grateful and humbled by the support of CrossCountry Mortgage and our project partners who have made an extraordinary vision a reality for our community.”
The initial construction includes the renovation and modernization of more than 63,000 square feet of the former RainForest structure, to be renamed the Tropical Forest, and the addition of more than 33,500 square feet of new construction containing the CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Home and the expanded Orangutan Forest habitat. A future phase will include construction of the Gorilla Forest that will create a new home for the Zoo’s growing gorilla troop.
More information on the Primate Forest, the Cleveland Metroparks, and the Cleveland Zoological Society can be found here along with video.
About CrossCountry Mortgage
CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) is the nation's number one distributed retail mortgage lender with more than 7,000 employees operating over 700 branches and servicing loans across all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Our company has been recognized ten times on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private businesses and has received many awards for our standout culture. We offer more than 120 mortgage, refinance and home equity solutions – ranging from conventional and jumbo mortgages to government-insured programs from FHA and programs for Veterans and rural homebuyers – and we are a direct lender and approved seller and servicer by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Ginnie Mae. Through our dedication to getting it done, we make every mortgage feel like a win.