The Roanoker - Sept/October 2021 - 60

HISTORY LESSONS
In Thornton's mind, every house has a story
to tell. And every story is worth saving.
She grew up in the heart of Raleigh Court,
with parents who instilled a love of good design
and a fascination with history.
She landed at the University of Virginia
and chose architectural history as a major. A
course on the history of design in ancient cities
connected deeply with her.
" Rather than studying the architecture of
one building, it was about the layers upon
layers of how these older cities developed, "
she remembers.
The class created a cornerstone in her
thinking: How did the past impact the present?
Could historic mistakes ever be corrected?
Thornton moved to New York City, then to
Los Angeles to earn her Master's of Historic
Preservation at the University of Southern
California.
In 2011, her dad invited her to take another
look at the hometown she had been desperate
to leave. She found herself in a meeting with a
group of leaders working to renew Roanoke's
downtown. Thornton was introduced to local
developer Lucas Thornton. The sparks were
immediate. The couple was married in October
2013.
By 2014, Thornton had spent years
learning the intricacies of applying for historic
preservation and affordable housing monies.
She'd worked with for-profit and nonprofit
developers. She had studied housing for a
variety of income levels in California and across
the Southeast.
She felt ready to create a model in her
own community for how
to take blighted property
in historic areas and
transform it into
something beautiful
and func t iona l ,
something that
could lift the entire
neighborhood.
She wanted to
turn eyesores into
beacons.
" We have
these historic
neighborhoods
that have really
been neglected, "
Thornton says.
" They have these
beautiful houses that
reflect the region and
they reflect a very specific
aesthetic. That's like our city's
calling card. I think it's great to
preserve and restore them. "
But Thornton's first project sparked
a backlash.
She found a Day Avenue property that
had been vacant for a decade. It was a large
structure, once subdivided into five apartments,
but now zoned as a single family home.
Thornton wanted to renovate it into a duplex.
The city needed to approve an exception to the
zoning. Neighbors showed up at meetings and
complained that they did not want rental units
or a duplex in their backyards.
Restoration Housing chooses properties in historic districts
that are one step away from demolition. The nonprofit
is often these properties' only hope of not being torn
down, according to founder and executive director Isabel
Thornton. Pictured, above: the home of a former Roanoke
mayor that had fallen into disrepair. It now houses four
previously homeless individuals. Pictured, right: the interior
of Restoration Housing's latest project, on Dale Avenue,
which had been all but destroyed by water damage before
renovations began.
VILLA HEIGHTS
BEFORE
AFTER
DAY AVE
BEFORE
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September/October 2021
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The Roanoker - Sept/October 2021

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