This is why laws are passed to create historic preservation districts. Without legal protection, "demolition by neglect" leads to towns classifying properties as blighted, and down they come, so that developers can have their way. Buildings from 100+ years ago are somewhat less at risk, due to their quaintness. It's the 50 year old stuff, like we have in SoWal, that is always at the worst risk. Just look at the nifty old beach cottages that have come down in the last few years. With our developer-dominated BCC, it's sad to say that's it's very unlikely that we'll get any historic protection in SoWal. Our loss, and that of our descendents...
I don't think the well-maintained Villas remotely approached "eyesore" status, although that word and "blight" are the classic favorite language of aspiring developers coveting demolition of a historic property.