When Vic and Kathi bought the home located in Canutillo, Texas, in 1999, they knew it had a rich history, but over the years they were lucky to learn more about the area when grandchildren of the original owner and builder, Pearl H. Bailey, stopped by and asked if they could take a look around. It was then the couple learned about the first family and the way the home evolved over the years.
“It was so neat to have these sisters just take a chance to stop by and ask to look around,” Kathi says of sisters Gloria and Betty who were the grandchildren of Pearl Bailey. “They were able to tell us a lot about the original owners and home.”
The home was originally built around an outdoor courtyard with bouganvillea trees providing shade and French doors leading into the family room. Over the years, the courtyard became a living room, with a roof and walls placed around the courtyard. The trees were left to sprout where they stood, to this day still providing an outdoor feel inside with vines and leaves spreading along the ceiling. A fountain that once stood in the middle of the courtyard was filled and is now only a remnant with an area rug and couch covering where it stood.
Many of the changes to the house were completed when Mexican singer, songwriter and heartthrob Juan Gabriel bought the house and remodeled it. One major change the superstar incorporated was a sunken bed in the bedroom, which was originally the formal living room (where the master bathroom now sits was previously the kitchen).
It’s hard to grasp sometimes how the house was, and how it is now,” Vic says about the transformation that took place within the home throughout the years. “It’s very different, but it works for us.”
Previous homeowners are also to thank for the addition of a stunning pool surrounded by roses. The pool now sits to the side of the home with a view of the vineyard instead of the cotton and chile fields that surrounded the home for nearly 100 years. A hand-carved door, details both imperfect and beautiful, welcomes guests through the front entrance. Wood vigas adorn the exterior and interior of the home – much of the cultured artwork brought in from Mexico. The character of the home was perfect for Vic, Kathi and their two children, Ryan, now 23, and Sarah, now 25.
Vic, an El Paso businessman and attorney and Kathi, owner and manager of Zin Valle Winery, married in 1977 after meeting at the University of Kansas. After Vic retired from the Army, he and Kathi moved to Santa Teresa in 1980 from Killeen, Texas. It didn’t take much for them to fall in love with the adobe home so rich with history. Once there, they began to make their own changes.
Vic remodeled the old chile plant building in the back of the house where harvesters would bring in chile and prepare it for circulation. Vic retained the original adobe fireplace, but added carved doorways and detailed tile to the area. He also removed the old sinks in the back room to turn it into a wine cooler, holding a grand collection of wines he has collected from around the world.
“It’s nice to come home and spend the weekends here,” Vic says.
Original pieces are still found on the property, including a fountain in the front of the house and a well that was used to fetch water in the backyard. Both are now only decorations, but true decorations that show the spirit of the early home. A lone eucalyptus tree in the backyard is a mystery to Vic and Kathi, but they love that it is there. The home is a mixture of new and old.
It is a home like this – one that served as an abode and retreat for generations of families – that makes the area full of wonder and culture. It is this home that is historically magical for Vic and Kathi and all those who enter it.
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