The first time a person looks at the visual work on the outside of the Belle Isle Aquarium, even if that person does not speak English, they can easily deduce what is hidden inside the interesting building . The exterior features koi fish, seashells (welcome sign), the Roman god of the sea (Neptune) as the keystone on the arch, and a cartouche showing the city seal of Detroit. All of this is done in Terra Cotta, which is quite interesting. This being the entrance, upon entering the building anyone would know that they will soon encounter aquatic creatures. The Conservatory is very different architecturally from the Aquarium, which is slightly funny considering the two buildings were once connected. This building has a large eight-sided glass dome, steel structure (originally wooden), with the ability to see from the outside a lot of plant life inside the building. On the north side of the building there is a water lily pond and on the west side perennial gardens, which contribute to creating a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere between the two buildings. Once you enter the Aquarium, you will feel as if you are underwater. There is a barrel-vaulted, semi-coffered ceiling covered in lovely sea green glass tile that originally extended from the floor, but has since been covered with black tile up to about 8 feet on the walls. This interior was originally built to radiate light from the skylights in the vault and dome; however, the skylights had to be repainted due to the large amount of light creating algae in the tanks (Boardman). The tanks were once adorned with heavy cypress frames, which originally resembled works of art in a museum, however in 1954 the Aquarium underwent a complete renovation, and those lovely frames were replaced... means of paper.. ... Children and their inhabitants are a great way to teach children outside the classroom and make some particularly boring lessons seem interesting and exciting. It's important not to lose the idea that these buildings and Belle Isle are something worth saving, because they have survived several difficult times and deserve to survive just as many more. Works Cited Austin, Dan. "Historic Detroit." Belle Isle Aquarium -. Historic Detroit, nd Web. 03 September 2013 Baross, Jennifer. "Detroit Architecture Book." Preface. Detroit architecture. Np: np,nd No. page DetroitArchitectureBook. January 25, 2012. Web. September 3, 2013. Boardman, Jennifer. Belle Isle Aquarium. Brochure. Detroit: Author, 2012.Mayell, Hillary. "Jaws Gives 'Virgin Birth' in Detroit." National Geographic (2002):n. page National geographic. National Geographic Society, 26 September 2002. Web.03 September. 2013.