Date of Completion: 1990

Building Area:
gross square feet

Contractor:
Ron Romero Construction

The Maietta House is located in the historic Huning Highland Addition of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The two story residence appears on historic maps from the late 1880's and early 1890's, making it easily over 100 years old. During the 1950's this single family dwelling was subdivided into four apartments, two upstairs and two downstairs. The subdivision included such radical changes to the house as filling in the middle upstairs window to provide two closets. The center hall stairs, a classic feature in Victorian houses, was enclosed. In the early 1980's, the Maiettas moved into the ground floor, combining the two lower apartments. The house had once belonged to a distant relative and they took on the task of restoration as a labor of love. They set out to return the house to its original condition. The first phase was to stabilize the structure and make immediate, necessary repairs. The second phase restored the original interior plan. The apartment kitchens were removed, the stair hall upstairs and downstairs was reopened, the upper middle window was replaced, and the fireplaces were resurfaced. Original doors and sliding shutters were located and returned to the house. Period light fixtures were rewired. The goal was an authentic restoration. The new kitchen and the upstairs laundry are the only spaces which are concessions to modern living. The Maiettas, through diligent research, identified furnishings which approximated that shown in photos which they had acquired of the interior of the house. They even located hardware to match some of the original. The architectural finishes and colors were selected by the architect with the owner's approval.