Fifteen years later, her patience paid off. “My husband called and said, ‘You need to go by the title company and sign some papers.’ Normally I ask what they’re for, but this time I didn’t. I walked into the title company and there were balloons everywhere and champagne.” The celebration was for Mindy, whose husband, Meyer, had given his wife the ultimate gift: the home of her dreams.
But in the beginning, Mindy says the home was more of a nightmare than a dream. “The owners of the home had started to remodel, but kept most of the home boarded up. Tiles that were supposed to be installed on the roof had been baking in the sun for decades, and the pool hadn’t been filled in twenty years.” Originally built in the 1940s, the house needed extensive repairs and a lot of cosmetic TLC.
Over the next thirteen months, ninety workers orbited around the home in a galactic-scaled remodel. According to Mindy, “The deal was, Meyer was in charge of the outside and I was in charge of the inside. We didn’t question each other’s work.” Together with the help of an architect, a project manager and several custom craftsmen, the once drab adobe home would be transformed into a sprawling Spanish hacienda.
And the entryway is a perfect prelude to this Spanish hacienda, with glossy saltillo tiles laid in intricate designs on the floor. “That in itself is a work of art,” Mindy notes. “We wanted to make sure each room flowed into the next.”
Little is left of the original home other than a few of the rooms (the living room is now the master bedroom) and a few details, like some of the carved wooden beams that can be found throughout the home. To match the original beams, two wood carvers were on site daily, creating replica beams to be used throughout the remodeled home. Chandeliers and wall sconces were made by Menonites in Guadalajara, per careful instructions from Mindy. “I showed them a picture and explained the size and style and quantity I wanted. After that two electricians spent the next six months wiring every single one.” In all, there are about 200 custom-made light fixtures in the house.
In addition to the remarkable craftsmanship, the house is accented with furniture and antiques the Marcuses have collected for over twenty years. “Meyer started collecting antiques when he was eighteen,” Mindy adds. “He has a collection of antique oriental rugs that can be found throughout the house.”
The Marcus home also features an impressive collection of art, all at the hands of local El Paso artists. Names like Kate Ball, Willibald de Cabrera, Manuel Acosta, Francisco Romero, Bob Adams and Albert Escamilla are just a few you can find on pieces around the home. One particular piece, a vintage Bill Rakocy that hangs in the dining room, is a favorite of Mindy. “The table and chairs in the dining room were pieces we’ve had forever. Together with the art...it just all came together so well in this room.” Upon entrance to the home, guests are treated to another form of art - impressive stained glass windows leading to the dining room that were designed by renowned El Paso artist (and brother to Meyer) Hal Marcus.
A carved cantera stone fireplace in the dining room is one of several fireplaces the Marcuses had imported from Guadalajara. “Robert Davidoff is a friend of ours who helped us resource several handmade pieces in the house. Most everything came from Guadalajara and was trucked in.”
The finished house is now more than 12,000 square feet of Spanish bliss that is a tribute to the talent of handmade creation. It’s easy to get lost in the home, whether you’re sinking beneath the lush shag carpet in the master bedroom, tucked between the cushions of their cozy sectional inside the theater, or lounging poolside in the backyard that’s comparable to any resort. Mindy never lost sight of the plan she had for a house she spent nearly two decades dreaming of. “It’s exactly how I envisioned it.”
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