Arts administrator Briana Vargas was driving along the frontage of US 54 in El Paso in 2018 when she spotted white cement and plaster walls arranged in shrines, pillars, and elaborate fencing. It was her first encounter with La Casa de Azucar, or Sugar House, an ornate confection constructed by amateur architect Rufino Loya Rivas. In 1973, he moved into a squat tract house off the highway and promised his wife he’d transform it into a place she would be proud to call home.
Though he had no architectural experience, Rivas drew inspiration from the stone facades of cathedrals in his native Mexico, rendering flourishes in Portland cement and plaster. He began with a brick archway over the front path, decorated with painted plaster flowers, and branched out into a dizzying array of monuments. Though Rivas died in 2022, the private home, viewable from the outside only, stands as a testament to his love for his family, faith, and art. “It’s a microcosm of the artistic traditions of the city,” Vargas says.
La Casa de azucar
4301 Leavell Ave., El Paso. The private residence is viewable from the outside.
