Preservation by Neglect: Phoenix Mills

Today I return to the topic of preservation by neglect with a personally poignant look at Phoenix Mills, an historic stone building located down river from the bridge (and former DEC fish ladder) in Willsboro, New York.

As I understand it, Phoenix Mills was a grist mill originally built and operated by W.D. Ross in the early 1800s. This historic plaque appears in the archival image above (below the gable, and above the center third story window) and it once again, adorns the building today. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because this mill — and at least one other, located in Boquet — were among the industrious accomplishments of the man who originally built and raised his family at Rosslyn. (Remember the belt buckle?)

I said “personally poignant” above in part because of the overlapping heritage between this handsome riverside industrial building and the property where Susan and I have made our home for almost 2 decades. But that’s not the only reason.

About two decades ago, when I first began looking for real estate in the Champlain Valley, this old gristmill caught my eye. Looong abandoned and extremely dilapidated, this handsome structure nevertheless pulled me. It was one of only a handful that intrigued me but were apparently unavailable.

I told my realtor on several occasions that I’d really love to get inside and possibly make an offer. But each time he reminded me that it was not for sale and that the owner – though frequently approached with offers — had no interest in letting the property go.

By the time we purchased the Lapine House and then Rosslyn, I lost track. We were eyeballs deep in our own renovations, and the last thing I was thinking about was another old property in need of saving.

Right around the same time the Phoenix Mills property was sold, and a gradual rehabilitation project began. It’s been underway ever since.

I visit from time to time, driving past the old Willsboro school (repurposed into a senior living facility) and the now dismantled dam and fish ladder. I park just downstream from Phoenix Mills and look for progress, wondering what it would’ve been like to purchase this building and painstakingly renovate it into a home on the river.

Sometimes I take the bridge across the Boquet River and park near the now-defunct paper mill. A short bushwhack down to the north bank of the Boquet enables me to gaze across the cascades at the river facing façade of Phoenix Mills.

It’s an old building that had spent a looong time collapsing in upon itself. I imagine the new owner will bring it back to life, but it’ll be some time before this historic mill is fully rehabilitated into its new incarnation. Perhaps a home?

You’ll note that the gable end has been altered. It was evident over the year that the brick ends were failing, collapsing inward. They’ve been replaced with framing. And the roof has been rebuilt. Aside from this third story modification to the historic façade, it’s evident that the owner has made a significant effort to retain other elements like the fenestration, the Phoenix Mills, Wm. D. Ross plaque, and the roof extension protecting a block and tackle hanging point from the North Country elements.

In an effort to corral this wayward photo essay, I invite you to consider Phoenix Mills through the lens of preservation by neglect. In some respects, this building was allowed to languish too long and deteriorate too far before it was saved.

And yet it has endured, is being salvaged and repurposed. Reconsider that photo of Phoenix Mills taken in a distant patinated past. This image was published in Relishing Our Resources: Along Lake Champlain in Essex County, New York, written by Virginia Westbrook and including drawings by Elayne Sears. The arc from purpose-built industrial building to failing ruin to rehabilitated home or commercial space is a testament to the importance of preservation by neglect.

Preservation by neglect generally refers to historic preservation of a building or area that happens accidentally, mostly because no active effort is made to alter, update, or demolish the structure(s).

(Source: Preservation by Neglect)

With a fair share of luck and committed owners, preservation by neglect delivered Phoenix Mills from irrelevance, neglect, and dilapidation to the present. Eureka!