Wungnema House open to public on Sunday

The Foundation for Carson City Parks and Recreation is holding its first open house of 2023 at the historic Wungnema House on Sunday, April 30 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., according to a news release.

The Wungnema House is the stone house on the east side of Mills Park across from the high school, off Saliman Road. Admission is free.

The open house honors the family of Hopi stonemasons who built the house. The Wungnema family along with other Native Americans, who learned their craft at the Stewart Indian School, are responsible for many other distinctive homes and structures around the Carson City and Lake Tahoe area, including portions of Thunderbird Lodge and at least one church at the lake, the release said.

The Wungnema House was built in 1946 by Burton and Pearl (Talas) Wungnema and served as the family home until the early 1970s. After the family moved from the house, it fell into disrepair and was subject to vandalism until it was rescued by Carson City in the late 1990s and, using Quality of Life Initiative funds, the house was restored to serve as a meeting place for small community groups and organizations. Notable, in addition to the house's exterior masonry, is the fireplace and hearth that feature a Hopi clan symbol as well as stone from north-central Arizona, near the Hopi homeland.

The Wungnema House is managed by the Foundation for Carson City Parks and Recreation under a lease from Carson City. FCCPR is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. FCCPR’s mission is to provide an umbrella under which various organizations and citizens can come together to explore innovative ways to promote, facilitate and fund their activities.

Projects, past and present, facilitated by the foundation include the Parks’ Programs Youth Scholarship Fund, the Centennial Park Tennis Court Improvements (Carson City Tennis Club); Pete Livermore Sports Complex Improvements (Comstock Sports Association); Pickleball Courts; Mayors’ Park; the Saliman Road Pathway Beautification Project; the Carson Ridge Disc Golf Club; the Lone Mountain Cemetery Headstone Project; Carson City Gun Range facility improvements; Bob Boldrick Theater (Community Center) Lobby Improvement; Mayors Tree; the Jr. Ranger Program; Carson City Railroad Association, improvements to the Sonoma Park Dog Park (including the installation of a dog watering fountain), Ross Gold Park, and Fuji Park dog park improvements, as well as management of the Wungnema House.

FCCPR welcomes new members who support its mission. Basic annual membership is $25, and higher categories of membership are encouraged. For information, contact the Foundation by email at carsonparksfoundation@gmail.com.