Cherry Hill Landmark to Get New Owner - Cherry Hill, NJ
N 39° 55.564 W 075° 03.010
18S E 495713 N 4419552
A beloved, green dinosaur has been sold and moved after decades of residence along side of Route 70.
Waymark Code: WMAT7Q
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 02/21/2011
Views: 5
For as long as I can remember, this roadside attraction was a landmark for us in my home town. The odd landmark, a fixture also on the SIRIS site, arrived in Cherry Hill in 1974 to enhance a money-losing golf course called Old Pro. Not too long ago, it was sold at auction (November 2010) for $1,500 by Comly Auctioneers of Philadelphia.
The dinosaur was a small but colorful piece of a larger sale that included 11.5 acres of prime real estate near the entrance to Cherry Hill. About 100 people attended the sale, but only one person bid on the land occupied by Lee's Stone. The selling price was $2.5 million.
From my previous waymark:
This thing has been around for awhile. It first made it way onto the scene as part of a miniature golf course. That went belly yup and it was bought by a private collector which sold it where it eventually made its way to Lee's Stone & Gravel, Inc.. It overlooks Route 70 and has been rumored to have been sold again to a private collector. This dinosaur can also be found on the Smithsonian site as well.
The SIRIS site describes it as a dinosaur standing erect, walking, with neck stretched out and tail curving on the ground along its proper left side to front proper left foot. The dinosaur is painted grey with faint brown stripes. (Today, the dinosaur is painted green) There is a panel cut into the right side above the rear leg with a metal latch at the top holding it in place. The dinosaur has a small concrete pad under each foot.
The dinosaur was sculpted by William I. Tawes in 1974. An inscription on the pad under the left rear foot reads Aug/W I Tawes/74 signed. The dinosaur is made of ferro concrete which is painted and the pads are concrete. Its dimensions are approximately 9 feet 6 inches in height, 8 feet in width and 20 feet in length. It's a big sucker!
As already mentioned, there have been several owners over the years. The last owner was Herb Schoellkopf of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, as well as formerly in the collection of David C Murray and Allan J. Sidlow of 263 Pussey Road, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania 19532. Title supplied by Inventory cataloger.
The dinosaur statue was originally located at the artist's house and studio on River Road in Millington, Maryland. Joyce and Allan Sidlow bought the house from the artist's widow in 1987. In 1994, the Sidlow's sold the house, and the dinosaur statue was purchased by antiques dealer David C. Murray. In June 1994, the dinosaur was moved to its current site on a golf course in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, owned by Herb Schoellkopf. The SIRIS has not been updated to reflect its current location.