Commuters coming into downtown Augusta from Calhoun Expressway have driven by them for years, but their blighted condition has allowed them to go largely unnoticed -- until now.

The Robert B. Heath and Stovall-Barnes houses are getting a complete makeover. Several local business owners and historical enthusiasts have purchased the homes and are returning them to their original luster.

The houses sit just off the expressway on Greene Street. They are the last of several historic homes that once occupied the street's entire 1200 block.

Last year, Historic Augusta Inc. placed the homes on its annual list of endangered properties. The city demolished several other homes on the block because they were becoming havens for homeless people and drug deals.

"They were diamonds in the rough for some time, but thankfully we were able to find someone to save them before they were lost," said Erick Montgomery, Historic Augusta's executive director.

The Heath house dates back to the early 1900s, when Robert Heath, a clerk with the railroad, bought the land to build the home.

The task of restoring the house falls on Brad Cunningham, who bought the house to live in once the repair work is completed.

"I want to be part of making this place come back alive again, and if people like me don't do that, then these places will continue to decay," he said.

The restoration hasn't come cheap for Mr. Cunningham; he has spent more than $189,000 of his own money to save the house.

Both houses are certified rehabilitation projects, according to the secretary of the interior's standards for rehabilitation, which qualifies the builders for tax incentives to help cover restoration costs.

Mr. Cunningham is restoring the Heath house in three stages, with the first nearing completion. He estimates it will take as long as four years to complete the project.

While he was researching the history of the house, Mr. Cunningham said, he never found a picture that predated 1938, nor has he come across any ghost stories.

"Somebody hanged themselves from a second-story porch from one of these houses, but I researched that and just couldn't find anything that said that," Mr. Cunningham said.

The Stovall-Barnes house is being restored by Rex Property and Construction Management Co., which also restored the Levy House at 1107 Greene St.

"This is a hobby run amok," said Paul King, who runs the company. "I've been doing this since 1983."

Bolling Anthony Stovall, a cotton broker, built the house in 1860. In 1873, the family sold the house to George T. Barnes, who would later represent the district in Congress.

Mr. King, who worked with Tennett Houston and Thomas Robertson on the project, is converting the house into six apartments.

"The only way to truly save a building is to give it a use," Mr. King said.

Once finished, the houses will overlook one of the busiest intersections in downtown. Mr. King said this was a chance for people who commute in and out of downtown every day to see what city living is all about.

"These are very prominent buildings, right at the gateway to downtown," Mr. King said. "When these houses are saved, the history that goes with them will be saved as well."