For five years, the quaint cottages at the north end of Crystal Cove have been a construction zone, tucked behind fencing as an elaborate effort to revitalize the historic structures has been underway.

But by Thanksgiving, the first batch of nine newly renovated cottages will be ready for overnight stays, it has been announced, kicking off a new chapter for the coveted cottages.

Also, the final $10 million of the $55 million project to finish the North Beach cottages at Crystal Cove has been secured, the Crystal Cove Conservancy announced Monday.

“It’s remarkable how many people have been involved in making this happen and how long they’ve worked to make it happen,” said Kate Wheeler, president and CEO of the conservancy.

Crystal Cove’s historic cottages are among the most in-demand overnight stays in the State Parks system – so as more open it will become easier to nab a chance to stay at the beachfront cottages wedged between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.

Cottages are being built at Crystal Cove in Laguna Beach, CA, on Monday, October 16, 2023. The boardwalk built on stilts in front of each  cottage is open to the public. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The first batch of nine units expected to open next month are among 22 units set in 17 cottages expected to all be open by 2026. With each opening, construction and fencing will move northward up the beach – the wooden boardwalk in front of each completed cottage will also be opening to the public.

Painstaking detail has gone into ensuring the cottages represent the bygone era when “coveites” enjoyed a laid-back lifestyle living in the cobbled together collection of homes, many built from wood that washed ashore. Details are being preserved reflecting when they were built between the 1930s and 1950s.

In 2006, after decades as a private community, Crystal Cove became a place for vacationers to have a unique get-away on the sand. The 29 south-end cottages were restored within the 2.3-acre Crystal Cove Historic District and joined the State Parks’ inventory of overnight offerings.

The final $10 million in funding came through a Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit with an investment from Bank of America – it’s a method that incentivizes investment in restoration of historically significant structures and provides a means to secure capital for construction and tax relief for the investor, according to a news release.

The $55 million for the project came from many sources – donor pledges, institutions, low-interest loans, grants and earned revenue from the existing cottages.

“It is a quilt of all of these different, unique funding sources that has gotten us over the finish line,” Wheeler said.  “Now we can move to open the first North Beach cottages.”

Crystal Cove Conservancy founder Laura Davick, once a resident at the cottages who fought against a luxury hotel proposed in the late ’90s  for the site before it became part of State Parks, led the funding efforts through the years as chair of the capital campaign. She enlisted the help of Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris to secure more than $30 million in state funding, as well as the Bank of America investment that got the project to the finish line.

Soon to be open cottages and yet to be completed ones sit at Crystal Cove in Laguna Beach, CA, on Monday, October 16, 2023. The boardwalk built on stilts in front of each completed cottage is open to the public. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“Crystal Cove is a true gem along the California coast, and I’m thrilled to have helped preserve these unique pieces of history, so that visitors from all over can experience the magic of Crystal Cove State Park with a getaway at the beach cottages,” Petrie-Norris said in a statement. “It’s places like this that offer lifelong memories and experiences for people of all backgrounds, and it is imperative that they be saved for generations to come.”

Planning for the North Beach set of cottages spans a decade, with an extensive back-and-forth in the California Coastal Commission permitting phase that ended with the granting of approvals in 2017. 

Details such as ensuring the boardwalk was built up on stilts, rather than having a seawall that could exasperate erosion, were added into the plan to get the final approval.

“It should have been hard, they did the right thing,” Wheeler said. “We have to protect the coast. We need to do it in a way that wasn’t detrimental to the coast, they put us through the paces and that was the right thing.”

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Once complete, the additional 22 cottages will double the number of overnight rentals available.

Among the new cottages will be a hostel-style accommodation with 11 beds that will also serve as an overnight educational opportunity for coastal engineering programs.

Ultimately, the cottages aren’t about staying in a luxurious place – it’s all about the location, Wheeler said.

“They really inspire people to connect to the natural world,” she said. “So many people feel like it’s their home. They build memories and all of their big memories are here – it really bonds people with the place.”

The opening date to reserve the newly-restored cottages is still pending, check with CrystalCove.org/BeachCottages for updates.