"The home was built in 1928 by 28-year-old Clara Livingston after Hurricane San Felipe destroyed her father's wooden 'finca' home. Livingston, a pilot at a time when women simply weren't, was brought to Puerto Rico when she was five years old. Her father, a retired physician in New York, purchased a coconut and citrus plantation, which Livingston inherited in 1925. Even as a young girl, Livingston was obsessed with flying. She bought her first plane in 1931, trained pilots for the Army during World War II (women weren’t permitted to fly during the war) and became friends with Amelia Earhart. In fact, Livingston, who built her own landing strip in Dorado, was one of the last of her friends to see Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan alive. The pair got a night's rest at Livingston's home on their fateful journey around the world. Livingston later sold the home to Laurance Rockefeller (again, if these walls could talk) and soon after it was transformed into a hotel."
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