In the 1930s Austrian born Franz Scherr began development of Parrot Jungle, an attraction he envisioned where birds could fly freely in a natural, landscaped environment. An entrance building of field stone was constructed in 1936, marking the official beginning of Parrot Jungle as a tourist attraction. The Village of Pinecrest purchased the property when Parrot Jungle relocated and converted the tourist attraction into a park for village residents, renamed Pinecrest Gardens. R.J. Heisenbottle Architects was engaged by the Village to restore the original entrance building, which had stood closed and in an advanced state of deterioration since construction of a new entrance building in the 1950s. The roof structure was reinforced and a new tile roof was installed, replacing an old dilapidated roof which had partially caved in due to fire.
