Although it’s been described as a hidden gem, El Encanto Condominium is truly hiding in plain sight smack dab in the heart of Tucson’s historic Sam Hughes neighborhood, on busy Sixth Street, just east of Treat. Built in 1940, as luxury apartments for well-heeled winter visitors, Hollywood starlets filming at Old Tucson Studios and military officers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the Monterey-style complex was converted into condos in the 1960s, while maintaining the original architecture and design, then granted historic status in 1994.
In the documents submitted to the National Register of Historic Places, it’s described as “the first true luxury apartment complex in Tucson, employing a multi-courtyard plan with a symmetry of space and landscape suggesting a Beaux Arts influence. … The El Encanto concept of a larger complex with multiple courtyards was a planning innovation which became common in Tucson.” Today, the two-story buildings that enclose most of the site include 57 units. Nestled among them are just a handful of one-story bungalows, with secluded gardens and private entries.
The mid-century charm suits Patty Vallance perfectly, and this active member of the Jewish community has turned one of the five diminutive bungalows into an eclectic personal sanctuary that could easily double as an antique dealer’s showroom. Each item has been lovingly collected over the years – some passed down through generations, like a clock that belonged to her father’s family; some acquired for their message, like an antique door knocker to remind her that when one door closes another opens; some because they are just cute little things that make her happy.
“The house is designed to be a reflection of me. It is important to surround myself with things that have affirmations and reminders,” she says. For example, mirrors of varying sizes grace almost every wall – from small mirrored insets in rusted tin ceiling panels turned wall-art, to a large ornately-framed mirror over the living room sofa – reminding Patty to be reflective and authentic.
A collection of antique clocks scattered throughout the house convey that time is a precious resource. In the entry, the hands of a mid-century star-burst timepiece are set just after midnight, signifying that tomorrow is another day.
Patty’s favorite room in the house is her sun room. It is lined with cabinets overflowing with assorted collections – flower pots, knick-knacks, vintage pottery and more. Well-worn pink and yellow shelves hold an assortment of lunch-hour pieces – imperfect stoneware items painted by women who worked in pottery factories during World War II over their lunch breaks for personal use. Many of these pieces were cold-painted with floral designs after they were glazed and fired. No two are alike.
The sunroom is dominated by an Irish linen press from the 1800s, which served as a library for Patty’s children, Zev and Noa, who are now in their 20s. It is hand-painted with a pastoral scene of the two toddlers in a clearing, surrounded by characters from their favorite bedtime stories, including those that Noa invented, like a snail going off to school and a mouse wearing a tallit (prayer shawl).
Patty has a whimsical touch at repurposing objects from thrift stores, antique shops and yard sales. A chandelier perched on a bird stand serves as a floor lamp. Vintage jewelry works as a curtain tie-back. A wooden corbel finds new life as a door stopper. Patty even took a set of Christmas stocking hooks she found that spelled “JOY” and left off the “J” to spell “OY,” fitting in with the plethora of Jewish themes and Judaica.
She also uses her creative talents beyond her own walls to benefit a wide range of non-profits in Tucson. When survivors of Hurricane Katrina were resettled in Tucson, Patty collected furnishings and housewares that would make them feel at home, taking into account each family’s personal tastes, color preferences and unique needs. She came up with the concept and established the 1st-Rate 2nd-Hand Thrift Store to benefit all of Tucson’s Jewish organizations and synagogues, while implementing a vocational training program. She wrote a children’s book to benefit the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation, which she helped found. She regularly cooks meals for Fire Foundation board meetings and for the low-income residents of B’nai B’rith Strauss Manor on Pantano, where she served as president of the board. In 2006 she received the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Margie Fenton Award for her volunteer efforts and in 2012 she was honored as one of 13 Extraordinary Women by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy.
Just like the décor in her home, everything Patty does for the community she does with intention and meaning. She looks at the ordinary objects and circumstances of daily life and sees the potential for beauty and opportunity to do good.
