A two-day auction is scheduled to begin on September 23 for a 51,300-square-foot building in Tucson that once housed the International Wildlife Museum.
Located at 4800 West Gates Pass Road, the 3-story building sits on an 11-acre site and is designated as a Class B structure.
Built in 1987, the structure, which bears a fortress-like appearance and a nearly 100-seat theater, attracted visitors from around the world for the taxidermy exhibits of hundreds of exotic animals. That building closed its doors late last year.
At the time of the closing, the museum’s owners, the Safari Club International Foundation, said it was moving its operations to Texas, and only months ago revealed San Antonio as the new site for the facility.
The museum first opened in Tucson in 1988 and was from the start a tourist sensation, attracting more than 100,000 visitors a year. The facility featured interactive displays, a gift shop, and art gallery.
In her book Tucson, author Jane Eppinga noted that some of the animal exhibits at the museum were more than 100 years old and donated by “government agencies, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and captive-breeding programs.”
As listed, the West Gates Pass Road property also includes a commercial kitchen and cafeteria, with the larger estate advertised as perfect for another museum, or a “worship center, spa and retreat center, medical uses and treatment center.”
The auction is being handled by the Phoenix offices of the Colliers realty company.
By Garry Boulard
