El Paso, Texas: The Sugar House: Folk Art Confection

A previous Roadside America tipster commented on the owner/artist of this creation as a little creepy. We just left this location, it was amazing! The owner was out tinkering on dabbing paint here and there and was very nice. He was happy to discuss his work, the length of time on the project...very nice man.

This was fantastic -- to my mind, the best attraction in El Paso. The House of Sugar is delightful, it goes on for a whole city block, and it is "excellently" kept up. It's in top condition and full of interesting detail. One warning: the owner constantly shadowed me at a distance, always too far away for conversation, but it was clear he was keeping a very close eye on me. I waved to him, and I got a wave back. But still the surveillance. I always try to be respectful around such sites, and here I actually stood in the street when I could -- I didn't even stand on the sidewalk. But the constant wary surveillance by the owner finally creeped me out, and I left without enjoying this site as much as I would have liked. It's a real treat! Too bad the owner is so mistrustful.

La Casa de Asucar was built by Rufino Loya Rivas between 1973 and 1998 as a homage to the city of El Paso. The tribute has been built surrounding the house as a fence of sorts, complete with many religious-themed statues and descriptions in both Spanish and English.