The kids had a mid-winter break last week, so we decided to check out a historic site I have been eying on ever since I started reading the novel, "The One and Only Ivan" to kids. The story is based on a gorilla named Ivan who lived in a mall in Tacoma from the 60s to early 90s. The mall was called "B&I Circus Store" and the owner put exotic animals on display to attract customers. Ivan was one of them and lived in a small concrete cage for 27 years. The story is very thought invoking and makes the reader think twice about the topic of animal treatment by us humans. I love anything history and in particular a local history which we can still see with our own eyes. It allows me to make a solid connection with the past, not only by pictures but with my senses. Sean, Aly and Saya were very eager to see where Ivan lived many years ago and simply excited to get out and visit a new city they are not familiar with.
Tacoma is about 40 minutes away from Bellevue on I-5. The trip is short and easy since I-5 has at least five lanes. Come rush hour, all five lanes get jammed with cars moving at snail's speed. The traffic in Washington can be as bad as in California! I was a little nervous about the visit to the mall. While I was researching about the place, I found out that it is a hot spot for some local gang activity. I know some areas in Tacoma can be a bit shady and it looks like the once popular mall had become a hang out place to do criminal activities. I was honest with the kids and told them that we will go in, find Ivan's cage, take some photos and leave. That made the kids super nervous. They studied the surrounding of the mall and said they don't want to go in. I convinced them though and they followed me close like little chicks.
The place was not that bad. I even saw some families walking around. It reminded me of an indoor market in Mexico as most of the stores were selling Hispanic merchandise. Some people did look like gang members and it even had a sign that read "No Flashing of Gang Colors Allowed," but I didn't feel threatened at all. We kind of looked odd one out though since we were walking funny with all children clutching to me and me carrying a giant camera. The entrance to the mall had murals of circus animals which must be the reminiscent from the back in the day. There were old black and white photos of the mall and the animals they had displayed on the wall and it was interesting to see how happy everyone looked in those pictures. I wondered if they exaggerated their expressions in publicity pictures in the 60s. The owner, Earl Irvin, personally made a trip to Africa and purchased Ivan and his twin sister, Burma, from an animal broker. Burma died shortly after arriving to America, but Ivan lived with Earl and his family for a few years until he became too large and dangerous to live with humans. I tried to imagine the elephant, seals, chimpanzees and a gorilla living with household goods in the mall. The place was filled with bleakness, the fake smiles of people in old photos, colorful piñatas hanging and smell of old and fried food. I was glad that we felt it in person.
Ivan's area was covered with paper and could not see the inside. I was hoping to show kids how small it was, but I think they got the idea from the walls. We didn't spend time looking at it too long since there wasn't much to look at and Sean was concerned about the safety of the mall. He was coaxing me to go back to the car, so we took some pictures and left, going through the maze of small shops and hallways. I needed to use the restroom so I had all children come with me to the woman's bathroom, even Sean. He never ever comes into ladies' room but he didn't hesitate at all. He must have been really scared! It was a very educational trip for all of us. It was exciting to see the proof Ivan really existed and lived in the old mall. We are about halfway done with the book and it is becoming one of our favorite books of all time. Ivan was "saved" by animal activists and "freed" to the zoo in Atlanta in 90s. He died in 2012 which isn't that long ago. He never formed any friendships with other gorillas at the zoo and preferred to interact with human. It is a sad story, but he and the author gave us an opportunity to think about zoo in a different angle. I hope the children learned something out of this trip to the old mall. I sure did.
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