Item Description: I did a lot of research to try to find this Church. I believe what I have posted here is correct. Please note the yellow is glased over color at the base of the catcus. It came from factory like this and is not broken and repared. It is glazed over. If you don't like the color you yourself could touch it up with a bit a paint. It seems to be a stand alone item. RARE
Great for a desert village or train town set up. It's nice it never had snow.
Here is info I found researching this piece.
Item: Department 56 Southwest Hacienda Villa / Adobe Mission Church (Rare No-Snow Factory Variant)
Production Year: 1998
Condition: Excellent Vintage Condition (See detailed notes below)
About This Rare Piece: incredibly rare, hard-to-find Department 56 Southwest Hacienda / Adobe Church produced in 1998. This piece was part of an exclusive, limited regional test market rollout for the American Southwest and was never featured in the mass-market winter catalogs.
Unlike standard holiday pieces, this church features a factory-smooth, completely un-snowed glazed finish. It was manufactured specifically for warm-weather desert displays and has not been altered or modified by a third party. The white stucco-style walls and rooflines are completely smooth to the touch, with zero glue lines or factory glitter-snow residue.
Key Visual Characteristics & Authenticity Markers:
- Authentic Factory Underglaze: Features the original yellow/orange painter’s locator mark visible directly under the glaze at the base of the saguaro cactus.
- Vibrant Details: The iconic rounded front entrance door is a bright, unfaded orange.
- Desert Landscape Elements: Includes a molded green saguaro cactus by the front door and a green desert bush on the rear platform.
- Architectural Style: Stark white Spanish-style stucco walls with a tall, asymmetrical bell tower steeple on the right side.
- Base: Built on a solid, un-snowed reddish-brown desert rock ceramic base.
Condition Report:
- Steeple/Spire: Intact. The tall right steeple is in great shape with no chips or cracks at the top point.
- Cactus & Bush: Perfectly intact with no paint chipping or structural flea bites.
- Glaze: High-gloss, smooth factory shine throughout. No scratches or scuffs to the ceramic body.