The pride of Carson City’s park system is the Robert “Bob” Crowell Multi-Purpose Athletic Center (MAC). Built approximately 9 years ago, the MAC opened on December 30, 2016 after 19 years of planning and fund-raising.
The Robert “Bob” Crowell Multi-Purpose Athletic Center
The MAC, along with its sister building, the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Nevada, serves the community by providing recreational opportunities. and encourages our youth to reach their full potential. The B&G Club was built in 2009.
The Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada
The MAC offers 41, 000 square feet of recreational opportunities while the B&G Club offers 20,500 square feet for its approximately 1,500 members to enjoy. And thanks to a joint use agreement between the City of Carson and the B&G Club, there is now a staggering 61,500 square feet that encourages our youth to reach their full potential and allows the community to take advantage of the many programs offered by the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department.
Besides serving the community, these two buildings share something else: their builder. The stonework in both of these buildings was completed by Keystone Masonry. Keystone is owned and operated by Evelyn Wungnema Larkin, her husband, Paul and their two sons, Jeremy and Matthew. Evelyn learned the art of masonry from her father, Randall Wungnema.
Randall was well-known in Northern Nevada for his many pink stone creations. Both the MAC and the B&G Club illustrate that Evelyn and her family are well-versed in the use of multiple types of construction materials including stone, brick and cinder block.
This weekend is the official Nevada Day Weekend – the weekend when the State celebrates its birthday. In addition to the Nevada Day Parade, Carson City hosts the Nevada Day Pow Wow at the MAC. The B&G building is used for additional dressing rooms and rest areas during the Pow Wow (everythingcarson.com/maccarsoncity/events/nevada-day-powwow).
It seems fitting that this annual event be held in buildings constructed by Native American stonemasons. If you have an opportunity, attend the pow wow, enjoy the dancing, the drumming and these two amazing structures! Who knows? We might see you there!
Look at this beauty! It’s the Wungnema House located in Carson City, Nevada. The original builders/owners of the Wungnema House, were Burton and Pearl Wungnema. Their name, Wungnema, is Hopi for “grow”, as in growing corn. Both of them were originally from Arizona and met, as teens, in Carson City at the Stewart Indian School, and married in 1947. They were both Hopi Indians. Pearl was from the Sun clan while Burton was from the Water clan. Burton died at 29 years old on May 30, 1956, and Pearl died at 75 years old, October 4, 2001. The extended family consists of the Talas and McQueen families, most of whom are master stonemasons in their own right.
The Burton and Pearl Wungnema House
This 1,000 square-foot house was built just on the outskirts of Carson City and was completed in 1948. At that time, the house was located on the extreme eastern edge of the city. The couple could see the V&T Roundhouse from their yard. Now, due to Carson City’s growth, the house is a part of Mills Park.
Mills Park when it was a golf course, circa 1977. The Wungnema House is outlined in red on the right-hand side of the photograph
Burton Wungnema, with the help of his father, Earnest Wungnema, and his then-pregnant wife Pearl Talas Wungnema, built the house for his family, using the stone from his father’s quarries in Brunswick Canyon.
After becoming a widow, Pearl raised their children in the home. The children slept, dormitory-style, upstairs. Her nieces and nephews have fond memories of the house, they especially remember playing in the creek that runs along side the house.
Little unknown facts about the house are 1) that the house was a wedding present to Pearl from Burton and that, per Hopi tradition, the construction of the house was a team effort with the entire Wungnema Family, including the Talas and McQueen branches of the family, assisting in its construction and 2) Pearl’s father, Homer S. Talas, was a master carpenter by trade and it is believed that his contribution to the construction of the house was the carpentry work in the home.
There are some members of the community who believe that the stones used in the house are merely a façade placed on a wooden base in order to simulate a stone house. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The family used complete and whole stones in the construction of this wedding present.
As the house was built post-WWII, only half the upstairs was built due to the shortage of building materials used for the war effort. The country was still recovering from the rationing of many essential items, including building materials. The original windows, now removed, were from the Catholic churches in Brockway, Lake Tahoe, and Truckee, California. Earnest and Burton, while building those churches, purchased the windows because the windows were not made with frosted glass and the churches were going to return the windows to the manufacturers.
Downstairs, the fireplace was constructed using stone from Arizona. The face is cut stone of clouds and lightning and is the emblem of the Water clan of the Hopi Nation. The hearth is Wonder Stone and was probably quarried in Fallon, Nevada.
The fireplace
This home, in all its beauty, is representative of the wonderful masonry work done in the churches and homes built by Burton, his father, Ernest and other members of the Wungnema Family in Northern Nevada from 1925 to 1955.
After Burton’s death, Pearl and their children lived in the house until the early 1970s. After the family moved out, the house sat vacant and fell victim to vandalism (Though, it was hosted some mighty fine haunted houses during that time!).
Fortunately, in the late 1990s, the City of Carson acquired the house and restored it to its original glory. The Wungnema House was officially opened to the public in December 2000. The ceiling boards replaced during the restoration project were milled using the same dies used to mill the lumber for the original ceiling.
The house prior to renovation
The property is now owned by the City of Carson. Some members of the community feel that this marvelous building should be on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). We don’t feel that is necessary. Having a building on the NRHP offers the owners of historic buildings many advantages and resources necessary for the upkeep of those buildings, including grants and tax breaks. However, The City owns the Wungnema House and is committed to its continuing care, repair and maintenance. Plus, the City not only insures the house, it does not pay taxes on the property it owns. This means that there is no need for placing it on the NRHP.
The Foundation for Carson City’s Parks and Recreation (Foundation) manages the house on behalf of the City. The Wungnema House is now home to a number of self-help groups and is available as a venue for wedding receptions, parties, celebrations and family reunions. The Foundation hosts annual open houses of the building. Be sure to attend one of these open houses so that you can see this magnificent house in all its glory!
Our friends, Manny and Bekah, have the cutest little house on the east side of Carson City. And, in the backyard is a pink stone BBQ, complete with a spit for roasts or game. Both the house and the BBQ were constructed in 1946, with the BBQ being original to the construction process. The 1940s represented a period of time when the Native American stone masons were quite busy in Northern Nevada. Construction in Northern Nevada came to a standstill during WWII. Once the war was over, Nevada – and the rest of the country – experienced an increase in construction resulting in gorgeous creations like this BBQ.
The students enrolled in the Stewart Indian School’s masonry program were working on projects for what we call the “Learn While You Earn” program while alumni of the program were working on their own projects for area homeowners. We believe that the BBQ is the handiwork of one of the Native American stonemasons. We don’t know which one, however, we’d love to know. Hopefully, someone can provide that information.
The BBQ does not appear to have been used much. Why? Well, the melted roof tiles around the chimney are our clue The BBQ produces so much heat, that there is a danger of the garage catching fire.
What to do with a built-in BBQ that can’t be safely used? Tear it down? Nah, that seems wrong to destroy an integral part of Nevada’s history. How about converting it into a planter? It would look nice covered in greenery that accents the pink stone. How about adding doors and converting it to storage space for outdoor cooking? If anyone has any other ideas, please share them with us. And, yes, we know that the BBQ is not ours and our friends are free to do with it what they will. However, it never hurts to have a Plan B!
This BBQ also got us thinking – how many other pink stone BBQs are there in Carson City? This is the 2nd one we’ve seen in east Carson City. Surely, there must be more!
Every year since 2002, the Downtown Redevelopment Citizens Committee of Carson City has issued a Christmas ornament featuring a historic building in the city. The ornaments are designed to highlight the city’s historic and unique buildings.
The 2018 ornament featured the Wungnema House and the 2019 ornament featured the Stewart Cultural Center and Museum at the Stewart Indian School. While the ornaments are designed to honor historic buildings in Carson City, these two ornaments also honor the Native American men and women who built these marvelous stone structures.
Carson City, and the surrounding area, are rich in Native American history. Both of these buildings represent the contributions made by the Native Americans stonemasons to Nevada’s economy and history. Think about it – without their efforts, their talents, their hard work, the face of Carson City would be far different than the one we know today.
Both of these buildings were constructed by Native American stonemasons. The Wungnema House was built just after WWII by Burton Wungnema. The house was Burton’s wedding present to his bride Pearl Talas. The Wungnema and Talas clans both participated in the construction of the house.
Carson City’s official Christmas Ornament for 2018
The Wungnema House is now owned by the City of Carson. It is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, because the house is owned by the city, it is protected and maintained by the city. Which probably makes placement on the Register a moot point
The 2019 ornament is unique in that it is colored – as far as we can tell, this is the only year that color was added to the ornament. We think that the coloring is perfect as it reflects the many colored stones used in the buildings on the Stewart Campus.
Note the coloring of the ornament
The Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum is located in the former administrative offices of the Stewart Indian School. The buildings on the Stewart Campus, including the Museum, were constructed by the Native American masonry instructors and students, including the Wungnemas, the Talases and the Crawfords. The Stewart Indian School is owned by the State of Nevada and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cultural Center is open M-F, 10a to 5p. Please take the time to visit it – there’s so much to learn about the history and future of the Stewart Indian School and its alumni. Note: During the 2022 Holiday Season, the Museum will be closed from December 19, 2022 through January 3, 2023.
These ornaments are quite collectible. If you do not have these Christmas ornaments in your collection, try contacting the Purple Avocado (https://www.thepurpleavocado.com/) as past ornaments can be purchased there. We’re not sure what past ornaments might be available. It might also be possible to obtain the past years’ ornaments online.
This retaining wall is located on State Route 341, heading into Virginia City. It was built approximately 50 years ago by Randall, Johnny and Raymond Wungnema and (nephew/cousin) Darryl Crawford.
Retaining Wall, State Route 341
Ever thrifty, these stonemason used the stones left behind after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad blasted its way through the Virginia Range.
Next time you’re cruising to VC, slow down and admire the workmanship that went into this wall.
