For generations of Iowa State Fair visitors, the Fish and Game Aquarium has offered a quieter attraction amid the crowds, rides and exhibits.
The story of the aquarium dates back to 1926, when the Fish and Game Department moved its popular fish display into a permanent home near the west entrance on Grand Avenue. Construction of 21 aquariums began the week of July 21, 1926, and the building was ready for visitors when the fair opened August 25.
The building was designed in the Italian Renaissance tradition. Its exterior featured decorative plaster frogs and turtles, fish and sea-creature tiles, white marble medallions and cast-stone swans. The outer walls were completed in 1927, the roof was added in 1928, and ironwork and gates followed in 1929.
One of the aquarium’s best-known residents was Oscar, a lake sturgeon. Oscar first appeared at the 1925 Iowa State Fair, where fairgoers selected the fish’s name. She became the first resident of Tank No. 1, now known as the Lunker Tank, and remained there until her death following the 1953 fair. A new naming contest was held in 1954 for her replacement, Big Mac.
The aquarium has continued to evolve over the years. The original steel and glass tanks were replaced with plexiglass tanks and updated plumbing about 70 years after the building opened. The plumbing was modernized again in the mid-2000s, and the tanks were replaced with thicker custom acrylic in 2020 and 2021.
The Fish and Game Pavilion and Aquarium was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 23, 1991. The buildings were designed by the Des Moines architectural firm Proudfoot, Rawson, and Souers.
Today, the aquarium remains part of the Iowa State Fair experience. The 2026 fair runs August 13-23, and visitors can find the aquarium in the DNR building near the west entrance. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
A century after its construction, the aquarium continues to connect fairgoers with Iowa’s native fish and a piece of the State Fair’s history.
Source: Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR)
