About 272 State Highway 215
Set along State Road 215 in El Rito, this property—two tracts totaling approximately 1.792 acres—centers around a 1930s adobe that still reads the way it was built. Step inside and it’s immediate. Thick adobe walls that hold temperature and quiet. Wood floors that show time and use in a way that can’t be replicated. Plaster walls, simple finishes, nothing overdone. Outside, facing east, the front porch tells its own story. Wood planks and posts laced with a cooling vine that turns vermillion in the fall. The view out lets you immediately appreciate the owners’ attention to landscaping with native plants and trees. Through them, one enjoys an enclosed courtyard over which the nearby hills present themselves. The metal roof has developed a natural patina over the years, tying into a period of northern New Mexico construction where adobe walls and pitched metal roofs came together as a traditional building method. The main level keeps the original structure intact. Living room with a wood stove. Bedroom and bath, kitchen, half bath, and a flex space. Upstairs adds usable space with multiple rooms that can work as bedrooms, offices, or studio use. Full bath and a central open area that functions as a second living space or workspace. Total square footage is approximately 2,945. Radiant heat was added during the renovation. The radiant heat system was updated in April 2026 with a Navien system. Private well, septic, and propane. Homes like this came out of a specific period in northern New Mexico. Architect Beverley Spears documented these homes, which are not common, and not easy to replicate. From the back west-facing patio, one enjoys views across pasture land, with sight lines toward the Jemez Mountains and Pedernal. El Rito is known for its slower pace, small farms, artists’ studios, and its connection to the regional studio tour. Carson National Forest is nearby, offering hiking, fishing, and hunting opportunities. This house is about materials and history. The kind that are hard to find or build today.
