Are you in the market for a full-sized paper mache replica of a brontosaurus skeleton? How about an iron lung or a 200-year-old, 37-foot Venetian gondola? Former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren has it all.

Lonnie Hammargren is losing the original home he moved into in 1971, that later became part of a three home complex and museum of oddities, to foreclosure. (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

His Batmobile is going to be safely stored in a friend’s garage but Lonnie Hammargren is losing the home he lived in since 1971 to foreclosure. He added many unusual features including a planetarium, an underground garage, a solar observatory and a rooftop solar observatory. (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

Lonnie Hammargren is losing the original home he moved into in 1971, that later became part of a three home complex and museum of oddities, to foreclosure. Many of the odd items attached to the home seen in this picture may end up being left behind. (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

Lonnie Hammargren is losing the original home he moved into in 1971, that later became part of a three home complex and museum of oddities, to foreclosure. Many of the odd items, including these large scale models, may end up being left behind. (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

Lonnie Hammargren is losing the original home he moved into in 1971, that later became part of a three home complex and museum of oddities, to foreclosure. Many of the odd items may not be able to be moved out in time, including this dinosaur skeleton replica that may be from the film “Bringing Up Baby.” (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

Former Lt. Governor Lonnie Hammargren believes that this is one of only two beds to survive from Manzanar, a Japanese Internment Camp near Death Valley. Jeff Young of Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. acquired several of the unusual items from Hammargren’s home which is facing foreclosure. (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

Jeff Young of Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. poses with a painting of Buffalo Jim Barrier that he acquired from Lonnie Hammargren’s home. The retired neurosurgeon is losing one of the homes in his unusual complex to foreclosure. (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

Lonnie Hammargren looks at the ancient Egyptian style paintings he commissioned on the underground room he intended to be his tomb. That tomb is one of the many unusual things that he is losing with the foreclosure of the home he has lived in since 1971. (F. Andrew Taylor/View) @FAndrewTPress

Patrons wander through the 19th annual open house of former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren's Home of Nevada History in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. (Martin S. Fuentes/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Visitors look at an iron lung machine at former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren's Las Vegas home during his 21st annual open house on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. Loren Townsley/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @lorentownsley

Former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren's Las Vegas home on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016.Loren Townsley/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @lorentownsley

Former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren's Las Vegas home on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016.Loren Townsley/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @lorentownsley

Patrons wander through the 19th annual open house of former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren's Home of Nevada History in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. (Martin S. Fuentes/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A view of the eclectic collection of retire neurosurgeon Lonnie Hammargren. 2008 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren started collecting as a child, beginning with a butterfly collection. 2008 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Visitors tour Lonnie Hammargren’s eclectic complex of homes during 2008’s Nevada Day. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Minutes after Lonnie Hammargren told a story about a roadrunner that got into his house several years ago, another roadrunner got into the house. After being shooed out the second roadrunner stuck around for a while to enjoy the statuary.

During his campaign for Lt. Governor, Hammargren capitalized on his resemblance to Teddy Roosevelt. 2009 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Hammargren and his wife Sandy were married under this dome built to be reminiscent of the Taj Mahal. 2009 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

An ornate gazebo is one of the more normal items in Lonnie Hammargren’s backyard. 2009 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

In the office of his home in the Paradise Crest neighborhood, Dr. Lonnie Hammargren holds a file of petitions signed by his neighbors regarding his attempt to hold more events there. 2009 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

In the office of his home in the Paradise Crest neighborhood, Dr. Lonnie Hammargren discussed his upcoming court case and public meetings in Dec. 2009. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

The central of Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's three homes in the Paradise Crest neighborhood seen in this December 29, 2009 is flanked by his two other homes, although it is difficult to make out where one begins and the other ends. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Two of the full sized elephants that grace the yard of the northernmost home of Lonnie Hammargren's complex of homes. 2010 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Lonnie Hammargren measuring the distance between the back wall and a locomotive at this unusual home, Castillo del Sol in Paradise Nevada, near the corner of Sandhill and Flamingo Road. In 2010 he was in the process of trying to bring the home into county code. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Lonnie Hammargren's home includes a model of the Hughes Glomar Explorer suspended over the swimming pool. The model submarines are among the items Hammargren is not sure he’ll be able to find another home for before the bank takes possession of his home. 2010 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Not long after the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge was completed, Dr. Lonnie Hammargren added a replica of it to his backyard model of Black Canyon and the Hoover dam. 2010 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Hammargren obtained Redd Foxx’s car which had been repossessed by the Internal Revenue Service and had “Hammargren and Sons” painted on the door. 2010 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

F. ANDREW TAYLOR/VIEW NEWS Dr. Lonnie Hammargren discussing his Nevada day plans with a friend in the backyard of his eclectic home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive on Oct. 11, 2011. Hammargren opened his house to the public on Oct. 30 2011 for his annual Nevada Day Celebration. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

The Dragon's head from EFX, a production show that was at The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino is one of the many unique items at Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's home. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren stands next to one what was then one of his latest acquisitions, a l72 dugout canoe. He still has it on display on the roof of his middle home at 4300 Ridgecrest Drive Hammargren opened his house to the public on Oct. 30 2011 for his annual Nevada Day Celebration. Health and conflicts with neighbors and the county had forced him to take a two-year hiatus from the tradition. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren pauses on a staircase on a section of his roof that is dedicated to space exploration at his home on 4300 Ridgecrest Drive on October 11, 2011. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren shows off the damage to the acrylic tank at his home on 4318 Ridgecrest Drive. The tank had been a major part of the property for nearly 40 years until the tank burst during the summer of 2011 from longtime exposure to sunlight. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Like much of the house, the filing system at Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's home on 4318 Ridgecrest Drive is best described as interesting. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren takes care of some paperwork in the Captain Nemo Themed office at his home on 4318 Ridgecrest Drive on October 11, 2011. F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

An assortment of toys on display at Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's home. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's home includes display sculptures from Las Vegas attractions, such as Olive Oyl and Swee' Pea that were formerly on display in at the now defunct MGM Grand Theme Park. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren ponders how to finish of his latest display at his home in preparation for the his 2011 annual Nevada Day Celebration. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

F. ANDREW TAYLOR/VIEW NEWS Travelers along Sandhill Road south of Flamingo Road can see some of the larger pieces of Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's collection peeking over the wall at his home. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren sorts through mannequins stored in a decommissioned airplane attached to the roof at his home. 2011 photo (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

A statue of Buddy Ebsen as Jed Clampett from "The Beverly Hillbillies" was on display at Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's home in 2011. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

F. ANDREW TAYLOR/VIEW NEWS Dr. Lonnie Hammargren plans to have live music on this at his home on 4318 Ridgecrest Drive on as part of his Nevada Day Open House on October 30, 2011.

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren poses on top of some of his eclectic collection. 2012 photo. F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren in the Teddy Roosevelt Room at his home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive on October 20, 2012.(F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Hammargren’s complex is home to a many odd objects and collections, some of which like this decapitated wooden doll audience, are hard to explain. 2012 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren takes a break on October 20, 2012 from preparing his home for his annual Nevada Day open house.. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Some of Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's latest acquisitions in 2012 included set pieces from The “Phantom: The Vegas Spectacular.” F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Lonnie Hammargren on the roof of his 3800 Ridgecrest Drive home in 2012. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

In 2012 Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's acquired another full sized elephant statue. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's collection at his home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive included a humorous owner’s manual for a spacecraft in 2012. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's prepares for his annual Nevada Day open house at his home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive on October 20, 2012. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

One of Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's favorite rooms at his home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive was the Teddy Roosevelt room seen in this Oct. 20, 2012 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

A model of an alien lies in repose at Dr. Lonnie Hammargren’s complex of homes. 2012 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Among the unusual items in Lonnie Hammargren's complex of homes at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive is a Gondola that he believes may be the oldest in the world. 2012 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Among the unusual items in Lonnie Hammargren's complex of homes at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive is a Gondola that he believes may be the oldest in the world. Hammargren Sings "O Solo Mio" On Dec 15, 2011. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Among the unusual items in Lonnie Hammargren's complex of homes at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive is a Gondola that he believes may be the oldest in the world. Dr. Hammargren poses with the gondola and Venetian doctor's mask on Dec 15, 2011. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

A toy soldier is locked in combat with a robot in the home of former Lt. Governor Lonnie Hammargren in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

An antique model head used to teach the now debunked “science” of phrenology in the home of retired neurosurgeon Lonnie Hammargren in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Lonnie Hammargren’s home is filled with repurposed architectural elements including a stained glass dome. 2015 photo. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

The Jungle and island room at Lonnie Hammargren’s home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

One of many skulls, both real and replicas, in the home of retired neurosurgeon Lonnie Hammargren in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

One of two statues of Lincoln at Lonnie Hammargren’s home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

One of two antique Rolls Royces in the collection of former Lt. Governor Lonnie Hammargren in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Leo the Lion, the cartoon mascot of the former MGM Theme Park was on display at Lonnie Hammargren’s home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Visitors wait for local performers at the backyard stage of Lonnie Hammargren’s house on Nevada Day in 2015. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

An audience watches local performers on the backyard stage of Lonnie Hammargren’s house on Nevada Day in 2015. Cars can be seen parked along Sandhill Road for the event that drew an estimated 5,000 visitors. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

One of several unusual items from Lonnie Hammargren’s collection that are now for sale at Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

An antique compass is one of several unusual items from Lonnie Hammargren’s collection that are now for sale at Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

A model of the Titanic from Lonnie Hammargren’s collection. It and many other items from Hammargren’s home are now for sale at Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Jeff Young holds a sign that may be from a traveling exibition or small museum. It is one of several unusual items from Lonnie Hammargren’s collection on sale at his store, Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

A whale vertebra is one of several unusual items from Lonnie Hammargren’s collection that are now for sale at Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Jeff Young is selling the elephant themed chair he is sitting in and several other unusual items from Lonnie Hammargren’s collection at his store, Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

A blacksmith’s sign is one of several unusual items from Lonnie Hammargren’s collection that are now for sale at Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St. (F. Andrew Taylor/Review-Journal)

Are you in the market for a full-sized paper mache replica of a brontosaurus skeleton? How about an iron lung or a 200-year-old, 37-foot Venetian gondola?

Former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren’s Las Vegas home on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016.(Loren Townsley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @lorentownsley

These and many more items from the odd collection of former Lt. Gov. and neurosurgeon Lonnie Hammargren are up for sale, assuming he can hold the bank off long enough to get the bulk of the collection out of his foreclosed home.

Hammargren moved into the home at 4218 Ridgecrest Drive in 1971. Over the years he bought the two houses to the north of the home and filled the yards and homes with tens of thousands of odd objects, such as a delicate framed butterfly collection and a 20-foot model of a fantasy Middle Eastern city called Desert Kingdom. The northern two homes are paid for, but the retired Hammargren said he was unable to make the payments on a second mortgage for the original house.

Vacating the premises is far easier said than done.

“I’ve got a few friends coming over and helping me pack up what we can,” Hammargren said. “Some things are just going to have to stay with the house. Liberace’s staircase can’t be removed. I don’t see any way to get the rotating bed out of here either. I’ve got two Lincoln statues, and I think I’m going to leave the one that’s in the (broken water) tank. I’ve got that one all set up to look like the memorial in Washington (D.C.).”

The task is further complicated by Hammargren’s predilection for expanding his buildings and attaching signage to them. Two of the houses are attached by a pair of bridges. The north wall of the original house was expanded to create a room for Hammargren’s gondola, and in the process he added another floor above the gondola room and a rooftop solar observatory above that.

Patrons wander through the 19th annual open house of former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren’s Home of Nevada History in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. (Martin S. Fuentes/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The house that Hammargren is losing was by far the most unusual of the three and includes the planetarium, gondola room, Teddy Roosevelt room and rooftop solar observatory. It also includes an underground room built as a wine cellar that Hammargren had planned to be buried in. The walls are painted with hieroglyphics and paintings modeled after ancient Egyptian tomb paintings.

Many of the smaller items in the collection are being packed up for sale at auction or at Modern Mantiques, 1300 S. Main St.

“It’s been an amazing collection to unpack,” said owner Jeff Young. “Dr. Hammargren has picked up some very odd and interesting items over the years, and they fit right in with the kinds of things we sell.”

Other items are slated to be sold at an auction that hasn’t been scheduled.



Former Nevada Lt. Gov. Dr. Lonnie Hammargren sits inside a space capsule mockup in his backyard on July 17, 2009, in Las Vegas. (John Gurzinski/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Hammargren has gathered his eclectic collection in more than 40 years of auctions, horse trading and trash picking. It includes props from Strip productions including an egg-shaped doorway from a Liberace show.

“I bought the dinosaur at an auction, and I had no idea where it came from until somebody brought me this picture,” Hammargren said, holding a still from the 1938 film “Bringing up Baby.” “That’s Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn standing next to my dinosaur.”

The 19th annual open house of former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren’s Home of Nevada History in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. (Martin S. Fuentes/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Much of the collection suffers from a lack of provenance and other issues. Greg Mohr, president of the Gondola Society of America, called Hammargren’s gondola amazing and one of the oldest, but he stopped short of confirming it is the oldest. There’s paperwork confirming that a truck on the property was seized by the Internal Revenue Service from actor Redd Foxx, but Hammargren had “Hammargren and Sons” painted on the door, which might cut into the value for a collector.

The southern house includes the underground garage, but Hammargren doesn’t have to worry about his cars, including the Redd Foxx truck, a boat-tail Cadillac from the 1930s and a Batmobile. A friend will store them in his large, mostly vacant garage. Other items might not fare so well. A full-scale train may be too large to move onto the reduced footprint of the complex.

“Well, I guess I will just move it forward as far as we can and cut off the rest of it and leave that part for the bank,” Hammargren said.

Collection items

Lonnie Hammargren’s collection includes the following:

Model and real human skulls

An airplane full of mannequins

The time machine from the MGM Grand production of “EFX”

A 2-ton marble religious statue

A replica of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

The basket from the balloon from the 1956 film “Around the World in 80 Days”

The display 20-foot model used to promote New York New York

A Soviet general’s uniform

A model of the Hoover Dam

A collection of fornicating bronze animals

A statue of a leather-jacket-clad Popeye

Seats from the motion simulator ride at “Star Trek: The Experience”

The sign from the Showboat Casino

A deep-sea diver’s helmet

A 72-foot canoe carved from a single tree

The roller coaster car from the Stratosphere

A wooden telephone booth

A collection of back braces

A large-scale model of the Statue of Liberty’s arm and torch

Contact F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532. Follow @FAndrewTPress on Twitter.