Saved buildings
save our heritage organisation

Red Roost and Red Rest Bungalows, La Jolla Cove

SOHO's longest-running preservation battle is laser-focused on the Red Roost and Red Rest Bungalows, which have endured more than a quarter century of shameful, deliberate neglect. Located in the otherwise polished Village of La Jolla, this ghost-like pair of deteriorating 1894 redwood beach cottages are a curious sight to tourists, not to mention residents, who are unaware of their history and the on-going struggle to preserve them. Dating to the early period of local development, they are the last of a cluster of simple vacation cottages and an artists' colony built on the hillside overlooking La Jolla Cove. Although simple in design and construction, the Red Roost and Red Rest are considered rare and significant architectural forerunners of the popular Arts and Crafts bungalows still lining streets throughout San Diego's early 20th-century neighborhoods. However incomprehensible, despite multiple attempts on SOHO's part to negotiate for the restoration or adaptive reuse of the cottages as part of a larger project, the property owner would prefer to see these important pieces of history serve as a black-eye on the community rather than returned to productive cultural and economic use.

The City of San Diego, adding to the frustration, has so far refused to enforce its own laws protecting historic resources from illegal "demolition by neglect." City code requires owners of unoccupied historic buildings to maintain them in "a manner that preserves their historical integrity." However, new owners bring renewed hope, stay tuned.

(Scroll to view more photos)


Red Roost and Red Rest, c. 1975

2017


Current photos by Sandé Lollis

2022 | 2021

2020

2019

Newly Added

Remaining from past years

Saved/Removed from the list

2018 | 2017 | 2016

2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Mailing - PO Box 80788 · San Diego CA 92138 | Offices - 3525 Seventh Avenue · San Diego CA 92103
Offices, Museums & Shops (619) 297-9327
Home | Contact