Before and After: 19 Liberty St (Interior)

This before and after for 19 Liberty Street will come in three parts. I’m saving the best for last! If you have ever passed by 19 Liberty Street (Simple Gifts and Goodies), you would know that it is a commercial space with apartments above. The Patsalos family used to live there when they arrived in Newburgh in the early 1900’s. Downstairs, the father Zachary opened Patsalos’ Ice Cream Parlor while settling the rest of his family upstairs. Some of their children were even born in these very apartments!

Fast forward to almost half a decade later to 2005,  Nancy Colas and her husband Kermit, NYC transplants scooped up the place. She says people thought she was “out of her mind” and they told her, “you won’t be able to pull it off” when she bought the building. It was with reason. The building had cracked pipes, cracked radiators, a damaged leaky roof, and damaged gutters. It also had been vacant for a number of years and things were starting to crumble. Not to mention Nancy did not know much of anything when it came to renovating a building. Take a look at the apartment’s interior shots to see the extent of the damage:

After a lot of hard work, Nancy and her husband Kermit were able to fix up the building and make it something truly desirable. Some of the beautiful things about these apartments are the original hardwood floors, moldings, doors, and mantle fireplaces. This is just a sneak preview of what many buildings and homes in Newburgh have to offer. They also added a new separate heating system for each apartment. Nancy says, “If I can do it, anyone can.” She shared a story that she even got up on the roof with her high heeled boots to access a situation on the water-accumulated roof. The more people told her that she couldn’t do it, the more she was determined.

Nancy now owns a building with two beautiful apartments to her name. As Nancy said, “You never know what you are going to find in Newburgh” referring to architectural details. These apartments were originally made for families. So, they each boast 3 bedrooms, a living room, dining room, and a eat in kitchen. They also are great for people who want to work from home because both apartments have 2 separate entrances. You could have one as your residential entrance, and the other as your business entrance. Nancy is currently looking for a tenant. Take a look at the after pictures below, and if these pictures and Newburgh pique your interest, contact her! 845- 568-0050, ncolas3124(at)aol(dot)com

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