The Valencia House on Brookfield Street

The Valencia family established their mansion on Brookfield Street in 1925 after Miguel Valencia built the residence following his success as a regional film set designer and architectural decorator. Three generations lived there, including Miguel, his wife Rosa, their children, and Miguel’s parents who remained part of the household. The family income came from studio design contracts, decorative construction work, and property investments.

Local records describe the mansion as a carefully maintained residence with active use of the studio, library, and upper rooms during the years when Valencia Design Works remained successful.

The first warning sign appeared in 1938 when Valencia Design Works recorded cancelled contracts and delayed payments from local studios. During the economic slowdown, Miguel reduced assistants, closed several upstairs rooms, and postponed repairs to the ceramic roof tiles, decorative balconies, and curved porch structure. After Miguel became ill in 1941, the family investments weakened. By 1944, unpaid business loans, property taxes, and medical expenses forced the Valencia family to leave Brookfield Street and move to a smaller home while creditors arranged legal proceedings over the property.

The Valencia House was abandoned in 1945 after the decline of the design business, unpaid debts, and legal financial proceedings left the property without a permanent owner. No restoration occurred, and no Valencia descendants returned after leaving Brookfield Street. Municipal records documented unsuccessful ownership transfers and continued deterioration of the vacant residence. The interior rooms remained closed, preserving household furnishings, business documents, and personal belongings left behind. Over the decades, moisture damage, weather exposure, and structural wear affected the stucco walls, ceramic roof, and decorative details. The Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco mansion remains empty on the residential street, slowly deteriorating without restoration or confirmed future use.