Thanks to Claudia Lea’s decision to become a permanent resident of Aiken until she died at age 90, Rose Hill has remained an intact walled city block with 12 original buildings and the original layout of the gardens. The structures and gardens sat untouched for several years until a wealthy gentleman from Dallas, Mr. Jones, came forward in the early 1990’s with a vision to operate a religious college on the property. His endeavor resulted in something spectacular for the future of Rose Hill. He made over $1 million worth of renovations to the Main House and Gardens that did not alter the integrity of the original property. Mr. Jones’ small, tuition-free college operated for several years at Rose Hill with a campus comprised of promising students, some of whom had even attended Ivy League schools. Unfortunately, the donations, which Mr. Jones had expected for the operations of the college, were not forthcoming and his investors backed out of the project. Rose Hill sat uninhabited until 2002, until the next set of visionaries came forward:  Mr. Stephen Mueller and his mother Eva. Eva & Stephen Mueller had resided in Aiken since the 1970’s and after careful conversations, they purchased an abandoned city block rich in history and re-purposed six of the buildings for use within the hospitality industry. They began at the top of the hill by converting the expansive Main House and Rear Gardens to provide accommodations and a private event space. Down the hill, a wedding chapel sits on the foundations of a greenhouse. The Carriage House now serves as a venue for smaller receptions & business meetings. A 2,500 square foot home on the property called, “The Greenville Cottage” is now available for short and long-term rentals. After an extensive renovation to the long-neglected stables and approval from the health department, the stables opened as, “The Stables Restaurant” in 2009. In 2018, the property was  purchased by Ketan Patel, continuing the legacy established by Eva & Stephen Mueller. Mr. Patel worked diligently to preserve the legacy of Rose Hill, to renovate the property and return it to its former glory. In 2020, Mr. Patel sold Rose Hill to current owners, Elizabeth Smith and Andrew Hobbs, who have continued with carrying on the legacy of Rose Hill as the new generation of Rose Hill opening all under new ownership starting in September 2020. Following the death of Miss Phelps, the goal was, and continues to be, to share a piece of history from Aiken’s Gilded Age past with the world.