The kitschy displays at Magic Carpet Golf may meet their maker before they meet a mover.
The sphinx, T-Rex and other larger-than-life statues at the mini-golf course may not fare well during a move, some experts say, making preservation efforts at the now- defunct park more difficult.
The course, 6125 E. Speedway, closed last month after a 30-plus-year run in Tucson. Two 18-hole courses were built around offbeat creations, such as a spinning daisy fashioned out of plywood and a towering monkey crafted from who-knows-what. Some people want to save the displays as local artifacts.
The problem now, said those who recently surveyed the grounds, is that the aging structures — made from a mix of rebar, concrete and fiberglass — could fare poorly when disturbed.
"Not one of these pieces is going to come out the same," said Brad Copley, who was contacted by Tucson's Valley of the Moon because of his expertise in moving heavy objects — namely, trees. He toured the park on Tuesday, at times poking and prodding at the old pieces of art to test their integrity.
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Golf N' Stuff General Manager Ted Williams, who recently toured the grounds, said the figures are either too heavy or too unstable to survive a haul. And that doesn't take into account damage sustained by three decades of abuse.
In some cases, he said, "you have a structure that's never intended to be moved."
But Williams said he'd like to move a couple of Magic Carpet's smaller figures, such as a concrete spider, to his course.
Magic Carpet was sold Jan. 4 for $1.8 million to Tempe-based Chapman Automotive Group, which owns a nearby Mercedes dealership. Since then, several Tucsonans have come forward to find ways to save what they call unique pieces of the city's history.
"The ideal thing would have been to preserve the entire site," said Carlos Lozano, founder of the Internet group VanishingTucson.com. If not, he said, "We lose another cultural landmark, but I guess we'll just save as much of it as we can."
The landmark has also been targeted by vandalism. Sometime this week, the course's multistory Tiki head was defaced by vandals, and its inside had a spray-painted message that read: "DONT RIP ME DOWN!"
After hearing news of Magic Carpet's closure, state Rep. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, said in late January that he wanted to find a new home for the park's décor, possibly at Valley of the Moon, 2544 E. Allen Road. He also wants to enter the oddities in the Arizona Centennial Project, a historic-preservation effort linked to the state's celebration of its 100th birthday in 2012.
Farley said smaller objects, such as the monkey, would be easier to move. But he is also looking for structural engineers who would be interested in hauling the creatures away.
"We're going to have to lose a couple of them," he said of the creatures. "My hope is that some companies would like to move them for the challenge and fun of it."