Las Vegas history on display again at Hammargren’s Nevada Day open house

By Ian Whitaker

Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 | 2 a.m.

A shirtless Lonnie Hammargren scrubs the side of one of the many full-sized trains he keeps around his famed museum home.

A handful of workers duck in and out of cluttered passageways. Fresh paint is applied to the concrete floor in the backyard, which doubles as a huge topographic map of Nevada. Somewhere close by, a power tool is whining.

It’s been hard work preparing Castillo Del Sol for yet another Nevada Day celebration. But then again, it’s always been hard work.

Hammargren, a former neurosurgeon and Nevada lieutenant governor, has been giving private tours of his home for 40 years. This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, will be the 19th time he has opened his house to the public for the state’s annual holiday. It could also be the last.

Bob McCaffery, a historian and close friend of Hammargren’s who has helped organize the open house over the years, doesn’t want to do it anymore.

“I’m just burned out,” McCaffery said. “I’m over it.”

McCaffery, 75, organizes most of the media and promotional materials while Hammargren works with a crew to spruce the place up. But with health problems and a recent operation, McCaffery said he can’t do it anymore. He was going to say no this year but then felt guilty.

“We’re good friends and we help each other out,” he said. “The guy is a genius.”

Last year the open house attracted around 2,000 visitors, according to McCaffery. This year the proceeds will go toward funding the restoration of a large wall displaying the names of Nevada military members who have died in wars following September 11. Pulled by a truck on a trailer, the wall is used in parades.

On Wednesday, the trailer sat outside Castillo Del Sol, circled occasionally by a curious worker enjoying a break from meeting Hammargren’s meticulous standards.

There is still a lot of work to do at the compound: knick-knacks to be arranged, artifacts to be hosed down and antiques to be dusted.

“You go [to the house] two days beforehand and you say, ‘This is not going to happen,’” McCaffery said. “But it always comes together.”

In the comfort of his office, a tiny submarine-like alcove where he spends most of his time, Hammargren finally throws on a shirt. It’s a button-down with an illustration of Mount Rushmore emblazoned across the chest in American red, white and blue. He’s been up since before 4 a.m. helping with preparations.

“It’s steady work,” he said. “It’s a full-time job.”

Judging by the frantic pace of the clean-up effort, you’d think they’d just started yesterday. Hammargren said they have been working at it for weeks. The main attraction is a stage in the back where a handful of tribute bands will play on both days. A big metal trolley sits next to it, packed with discarded spray paint cans.

When he’s not working, Hammargren putters around, admiring the scenery and handiwork of his crew. He’s impressed after noticing a particularly skilled vinyl finish on a Model T.

“Good! That’s nice! That’s wonderful, Johnny!” he shouts.

Hammargren is particularly fond of a gigantic T-Rex statue he bought for $600 and plopped in his garden right next to a picturesque gazebo.

“That was a steal,” he said.

He’s undecided about whether he’ll organize the open house without McCaffery. The flyers and promotional material call it the “last open house,” but he has taken to calling it the “last party.”

“It could still be done. We’ll have to see how it turns out,” he said.

Hammargren is even thinking about continuing the open houses and calling each one “the last party,” just for fun.

“You could play that one along,” he said, grinning.