Aida Morales
When she encountered a stone house on Roosevelt Island, Aida Morales had been searching for a home to renovate for some time.
Aida Morales had been searching for a home to renovate for some time when she came across an 18th-century stone house on Roosevelt Island.
Morales had always wanted to renovate a historic building. Her family owns several apartment buildings in New York City’s Lower East Side, where she lives.
But when she saw the dilapidated building on Roosevelt Island, she knew it would be the perfect place to practice her skills.
Morales said that the house was haunting her. The historic home has undergone many renovations since it was built in 1780, including one in 1914 by German architect George T. Spengler. For about 18 months, Morales worked with a friend who is an architect on plans for the renovation and restoration of the home’s exterior and interior spaces. But when she saw the dilapidated building on Roosevelt Island, she knew it would be the perfect place to practice her skills. Built-in 1780, this home has been renovated many times, most recently by Aida Morales and her team.
After purchasing the property with her husband in 2015, Aida began researching historical records at Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of how previous owners had altered their home’s original structure and layout. She wanted to honor their legacy while still giving them something new: a modernized version of what they’d once known as their own space. She wanted to make sure they kept all elements from history. They tried not only to preserve but enhance whatever was left behind. Morales restored the house to its original state, helped by Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. She hopes her renovation will inspire others to preserve historic buildings in New York City and nationwide.