Dome home hits the market Real Estate Paparazzi

Riddle: What has 60 triangles, making up five hexagons and six pentagons, with five trapezoid openings sitting on almost an acre near Lone Mountain Park?

The answer: Scott Wilgar's geodesic dome home.

Originally used to measure the shortest distance on a curved surface, geodesic, combined with triangles, forms a dome structure.

Wilgar, a glazier for 30 years who has installed glass in some of Las Vegas' most prominent hotels and casinos, listed his self-constructed dome home with Realtors Mark Anthony Poe and Keely Carlin of Keller Williams Realty for $1.2 million.

Wilgar, who did 95 percent of the construction, said it cost him $150,000 for the land and materials in 1985.

"Since taking this listing, I've been doing a lot of research on the Web, and I've learned that domes are among the most efficient, lightest and strongest structures known to man," Poe said.

"I read news stories where domes survived hurricanes and other storms while neighboring homes were flattened. And I also found out that domes have at least 30 percent less surface area than other building shapes, so it takes less energy to heat or cool them, which is a big plus in our Nevada climate," Poe said.

Wilgar, born in Las Vegas in November 1952 at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital, now called UMC, became interested in dome homes while working on the Caesars Palace Omnimax Theater in 1980. After nearly two decades, it was razed to make way for The Colosseum where Celine Dion and Elton John now perform.

"At that time geodesic dome homes were rated as being more energy efficient than standard construction. I purchased a kit which consisted of prefabricated triangular panels of plywood on studs. The panels came predrilled with four holes on each side, and are then stacked together and bolted. Once that is completed, the structure has five trapezoid openings which are framed to accommodate doors and windows.

"The lower level has a huge recreation room, bathroom, garage, workshop, and storage room. The second floor is the main living area with the master bedroom and bathroom, living and dining rooms, kitchen and guest bathroom. The third level has two additional bedrooms and bath," Wilgar said.

"The property is zoned RE RNP1, allowing for one large animal for every 10,000 square feet of lot area," said Anthony Molloy, principal planner at the Clark County Comprehensive Planning Dept. Since the lot area is 37,461 square feet, three horses can be accommodated, according to Molloy.

Working as a glazier, Wilgar said, "The house has a lot of interior glass and mirror work. The house has full views of the Las Vegas Strip, Lone Mountain, the Spring Mountain Range and Sheep Mountains. The outside deck is one of the best places in town to view the Fourth of July and New Year's fireworks."

Wilgar's grandfather and uncles started the first glass shop in Las Vegas, Wilgar Brothers Glass, in 1941. His father joined them after he got out of the service in 1945.

The Wilgars have lived in their dome for 21 years and is now retired. His wife, Gail, who has worked at the Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services for 30 years, will retire in November.

They are liquefying assets to prepare for future travels, encircling the planet no doubt.

Joan Schiller Travis can be reached at 702-338-9797 or JTwriter@cox.net.