Hammargren cancels annual tour of his memorabilia-laden homes

Lonnie Hammargren, keeper of the self-proclaimed "House of Nevada History," has canceled the annual tour of his homes for the second year in a row.

This year's open house, which was scheduled for Sunday, had been billed as the last one. Hammargren has been facing complaints from neighbors about the annual event for some time as well as scrutiny from Clark County officials.

The former lieutenant governor, who is a retired doctor, said Monday that practical concerns forced the cancellation: illness in the family, incomplete work on the property and the fact that "the rainy weather really screwed things up. Massively so."

Still, Hammargren said he wasn't giving up on having events at his home, despite the ongoing opposition.

"I've been doing this too long. It's not over," he said. "There's a time to beat a strategic retreat. If you're going to function, sometimes you've got to regroup."

In January, the Clark County Commission denied 16 zoning waivers requested by Hammargren. At the time, his attorney concluded that the events would end unless Hammargren could obtain the necessary permits, which is probably an uphill battle since neighbors long have complained about crowds jamming the neighborhood near Flamingo and Sandhill roads, taking up all available parking and leaving trash behind.

Hammargren's property encompasses three homes, two of which are filled with his collections.

Among the more well-known items are an Apollo space capsule, a Liberace piano, Stratosphere roller coaster cars and replicas of a space station and a space shuttle.