Shortly after the opening of the Parc de la Tête d'Or in 1857, following the introduction of fallow deer for the creation of the zoo, cows and sheep were brought in to maintain the lawns.

[6] The building was well received by the city, enabling Victor Augagneur to recommend Tony Garnier to the new mayor, Édouard Herriot.

Between 1912 and 1913, Tony Garnier built two flats for the cowherds in the attic above the sterilization room and added a third by raising an annex building.

[2]The cow barn was then refurbished between 1922 and 1924 and transformed into a fawn house, with the addition of two cages on the east side of the building.

[11] On January 29, 2001, the city of Lyon voted to restructure the building to give it "the presence it deserves", at a cost of 14 million francs,[nb 5][12] and to reallocate it to the operation of the Parc de la Tête d'Or, including a large storage area, an exhibition room, a classroom, a cold room, and the reptile enclosure.

[10] The architect paid particular attention to hygiene, including ventilation, automatic urine drainage, and a glazed brick floor.

The only decorations Tony Garnier allowed himself were the terracotta pots on the eaves of the roof, as well as a wall of ivy and an enclosure hedge.

[2]« This atypical, unique work was nevertheless produced in a style that Garnier used for several other projects: a mixture of regionalism and eclecticism, and sometimes of late Art Nouveau.

[4] » — Olivier Cinqualbre (architect and museum curator).The dairy is able to supply 250 to 300 liters of milk a day,[nb 6] thanks to a number of devices that automate the process: one machine brushes and cleans the bottles with a jet of water, while another makes it easier to fill them.

[17] In 1918, Tony Garnier drew up two plans for a milk pasteurization plant, which appeared to be an extension of the cow farm's sterilization unit.