2003 Most Endangered

Most Endangered Places in New Mexico 2003

• The Waters of New Mexico, Statewide
  
• St. Vrain Mill, Mora County
  
• The Gutierrez-Hubbell House, Bernalillo
  
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park, San Juan County
  
• La Bajada Mesa and Escarpment, Santa Fe
  
• New Mexico's Historic Earthen Architectural Tradition, Statewide
  
• Melvin W. Mills House, Colfax
  
• Tucumcari Metropolitan Park — 5 Mile Park, Quay
  
• New Mexico's Greater Otero Mesa Area, Otero
  
• Historic Roadside Markers of New Mexic, Statewide
  

Melvin W. Mills House, Colfax

Significance: The Mills House and the man who built it are major elements in the cultural heritage of Springer and northern New Mexico. The house is built on a terrace overlooking the Cimarron River near the east end of Main Street when the village was a rail-head for mining towns in Moreno Valley and for shipping agricultural products. Mr. Mills was an attorney, banker, Territorial legislator, entrepreneur, rancher, Canadian River fruit and vegetable farmer, and stagecoach line operator. His Springer house was arguably the most elegant home in rural Northeast New Mexico. It has been described as architecturally ?unique in the Nation? for bringing together French Second Empire style, Anglo-influenced porches, and Spanish adobe construction.

Threat: The house has been vacant for a number of years and has undergone major deterioration. Sewer and water systems are non-functional. The electric wiring is too dangerous to use, adobe bricks are eroding from the walls, exterior ornamental wood trim is heavily weathered, and porches are beginning to sag precipitously. The roof was given minimal repairs in 2001 and several chimneys were taken down for safety. The cost of repairs is beyond the means of the present owner. Without intervention, the Mills House will soon be lost.