Committee to vote on new homes for Brockhouse mounts

The Brockhouse collection of taxidermy animals housed at the Great Plains Zoo could be headed in three directions across the U.S.

A work group considering options for the collection will vote on a resolution Friday that would gift 152 mounts to three nonprofits.

The draft resolution proposes gifting 117 specimens to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, 33 pieces of the collection to The Oddities Museum Inc. in Georgia and two specimens to the Institute for Natural History Arts Inc. in New Jersey.

A complete list of the mounts and where they would be donated can be found here.

Following the work group’s recommendation, the City Council also would need to vote on the gift.

The taxidermy animals were harvested in the late 1940s through the 1970s by Henry Brockhouse, a Sioux Falls businessman.

Because of the collection’s advancing age, the taxidermy specimens “are at a point where significant funding is needed to restore and reimagine it with updated dioramas and interpretive signage,” according to information from the city.

“Based on preliminary estimates, it could cost over $7 million to restore the mounts, dioramas and a new building to create a modernized educational experience upholding best practices for a natural history museum. The A.M. Art Restoration LLC survey report estimated restoration costs for the taxidermy specimens alone at over $850,000. In addition to this one-time cost, ongoing funds will be needed for the maintenance of the specimens and operating costs of the building.”

After 40 years, the Delbridge Museum of Natural History at the zoo closed to the public in August 2023.

A request for interest in the collection drew proposals from five organizations and institutions, including the three named in the resolution.

Brockhouse collection at Great Plains Zoo could be headed to Notre Dame