Two historic buildings with an unobstructed view of La Jolla Cove that were built in 1894 and have been abandoned since the 1970s are finally for sale at a minimum asking price of $10 million each. Red Rest and Red Roost, the dilapidated single-story bungalow-style beach cottages located at 1179 and 1187 Coast Boulevard, have attracted attention from prospective buyers around the world. Bruce Coons, executive director of Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO), which seeks to preserve historical landmarks and properties, said the potential sale marks an opportunity for a long-desired rehabilitation. “We hope this is a step forward,” Coons said. “We’ve been disappointed a few times in the last 30 years.” Coons said he is confident the properties will be purchased “if a reasonable price can be reached.” “They seem a little high,” Coons said of the asking prices. “But they said the price would be agreed on in negotiation, so hopefully there’s some flexibility.” SOHO has been following the properties closely since they became unoccupied in the 1970s and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Coons said. He added that the organization has kept up a dialogue with the property owners and initiated “at least one lawsuit” against the city in an attempt to spark enforcement of the demolition-by-neglect ordinance. Litigation concerning ownership surrounded the properties for years, stalling plans for development. Meanwhile, the buildings descended into neglect and disrepair. “We’ve been very active in trying to see that [the properties] are preserved,” Coons said. The property owners recently resolved legal disputes and did complete a historical structures report, which Coons said was a positive step. “It turns out [the bungalows are] in much better shape than anybody thought,” he said. Prospective buyers would most likely be interested in converting the cottages into “some type of hotel, bed and breakfast, time share, or condominium hotel with additional development behind the two properties,” Coons said. “Most schemes seem to have two units in each property as part of the new plan.” While SOHO wants to ensure that the properties’ historical value is preserved, Coons said the guidelines for rehabilitation — as opposed to a restoration, reconstruction, or archaeology project — are fairly lax. “They expect that people will have to make changes and develop the properties for different purposes than for which they were originally intended,” Coons said. “They need to preserve the historic appearance, especially streetside, but they can have additions. They can make major changes to the inside, as long as the essential character and the defining features of the property — what makes it special — are preserved.” The guidelines, called the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, are available on the city’s website, on SOHO’s website, and on the National Park Services website. “Most citizens in La Jolla would like to see these properties restored and in use again,” Coons said. “I can’t think of a more desirable spot in all of San Diego County. These are two of the oldest houses in the area, and it’s a shame they haven’t been producing revenue.”