Denver Zoo sues over leaky, rusty $19 million new sea lion exhibit

If you pay $19 million for anything, it better be top-notch. Unfortunately for the Denver Zoo, their $19 million might’ve got them some shoddy work…

Less than a year after its celebrated opening, the Denver Zoo’s $19 million sea lion habitat is at the center of a lawsuit alleging the exhibit was poorly designed, shoddily built and now leaks.

The Denver Zoological Foundation filed suit in mid-March against Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture P.C. and Vertix Builders Inc., accusing both firms of multiple design and construction failures at the Schlessman Shores exhibit. The case was filed in Denver District Court under case number 26cv30952. 

The complaint alleges a litany of defects: active water seepage, cracked demonstration beaches, rusting doors and peeling paint — problems the zoo says inflated costs and undercut the original vision for the marquee attraction. The nearly two-year renovation was intended to give the zoo’s California sea lions a modern, immersive habitat and serve as a centerpiece of the facility’s ongoing capital improvement efforts.

Despite the legal battle, the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance told Denver Westword that the sea lions at Schlessman Shores are “safe and healthy” and that “there are no immediate health or safety concerns for the animals.” The zoo said some of the issues cited in the lawsuit have already been addressed and that it is committed to resolving the remaining problems to protect the long-term sustainability of the habitat.

Schlessman Shores remains open to the public, and daily sea lion demonstrations are still being held on schedule, according to the zoo.

 Ted Laszlo, President, Vertix issued the following statement; “As a long-time partner and donor to the Denver Zoological Foundation (now the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance), Vertix was disappointed and surprised by this lawsuit. Vertix believed it had been actively working in good faith to resolve the issues the Zoo had raised when, on February 27, 2026, representatives of Vertix and the Zoo met to resolve them. Complicating the matter was that the Denver Zoo still owes Vertix the contract balance of $692,886.83.

“In the February 27, meeting, Vertix proposed to fix all items on the Zoo’s list in exchange for the Zoo’s agreement to pay the contract balance. Vertix understood that the Zoo agreed with that plan. Instead, after that meeting, the Zoo did not continue that line of communication.

“Vertix stands firmly behind the quality of its work and remains committed to client service. However, given the lack of payment, Vertix has been left with no choice but to pursue its legal remedies to obtain payment.

“The Zoo is an important institution that brings value and joy to the community, and we hope to reach a resolution quickly that allows everyone to move forward.”