Casa Romantica

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Coordinates: 33°25′18.04″N 117°37′13.87″W / 33.4216778°N 117.6205194°W / 33.4216778; -117.6205194
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Casa Romantica
Main entrance
Casa Romantica is located in California
Casa Romantica
Casa Romantica is located in the United States
Casa Romantica
Location415 Avenida Granada
San Clemente, California 92672
Coordinates33°25′18.04″N 117°37′13.87″W / 33.4216778°N 117.6205194°W / 33.4216778; -117.6205194
Built1927–28
ArchitectCarl Lindbom
Architectural styleSpanish Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.91001900[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 27, 1991
Casa Romantica seen from San Clemente Pier

Casa Romantica, officially known as the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, is a historic building in San Clemente, California. It was the home of Ole Hanson who co-founded the city of San Clemente. Casa Romantica was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1991.

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that provides cultural programs at the site.[2] The organization was founded in 2002 by a charter of the City of San Clemente.

History[edit]

Construction[edit]

Ole Hanson, a real estate developer and one-time mayor of Seattle, visited San Clemente in the early 1920s and chose the site to create his ideal community, a "Spanish Village by the Sea".[3] On December 6, 1925, Hanson persuaded people who had driven from Los Angeles and the surrounding areas for a free chicken dinner and a sales pitch to buy more than 300 lots in what then was a desolate landscape remote from the rest of southern California.[4] Hanson and co-founder H.H. Cotton devised San Clemente as one of the first master-planned cities in California, with town boundaries consisting of roughly five miles of coastline by one mile from the shores to the inland hills.

In 1927, Hanson commissioned architect Carl Lindbom, who also designed La Casa Pacifica (the former Western White House), to design a seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom house for his family on a site overlooking the Pacific Ocean.[5][6] The foundation for the house was built by Oscar Easley, who did much of the street grading for San Clemente and also established the Oscar Easley Block, which later became City Hall.[7] Construction was completed in 1928.[8]

Lindbom used an eclectic "Spanish Revival" style[8][9] with the main entrance to the house taking the form of a moon gate. An octagonal tower served as Hanson's study. The roof tiles were hand-made Mexican "thigh tiles". Floors are pegged hardwood, and all tiles for the hallways were imported from Italy. The sliding glass doors and provision of a bathroom for each bedroom were unusual for the 1920s.[8] A pool in the courtyard was stocked with colorful fish and the gardens with exotic birds.[9]

Later ownership[edit]

Hanson's vision of a master-planned Spanish village prospered until the Great Depression. In 1934, the Bank of America foreclosed on the Casa Romantica. Hanson paid his $3 million debt by transferring $12 million in mortgages to the bank.

Beginning with Hanson, the estate has been owned or operated by at least seven individuals or organizations, and has been renamed at least three times.

Years Owner/Operator Property Name Purchase Price Usage
1927 Ole Hanson Unknown Unknown Residence
1934 Bank of America Unknown Foreclosed Residence
1941 Neil and Lucy Rasmussen[10] Unknown $10,000 Residence
1946 Lambert and Patricia Schuyler Casa Romantica $30,000 Residence
1952 Evalyn Waring (Ex-Wife of entertainer Fred Waring) Casa Romantica $64,644.44 Residence
1956 Muriel and Leslie Whitehouse Casa Blanca $45,000 Residence
1960 George and Louise Welsh Casa Descana, then Casa Romantica $43,591 Senior citizens' home
1984 Leased to private business Casa Romantica - Events venue
1989 San Clemente Redevelopment Agency Leased to private business;
from 2003 Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens		 $2,500,000 Events venue, Cultural center

Listing on the National Register of Historic Places and opening as cultural center[edit]

Courtyard
Historic azulejo fountain

After an appeal by the San Clemente Historical Society to the City of San Clemente, the San Clemente Redevelopment Agency purchased Casa Romantica in 1989.[8] The estate and gardens were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1991.[1][8]

For the next several years, its proposed use was debated, but in November 2001 the city council voted to designate it as a cultural center with a mixture of public and private funding.[11] The vote was swayed by a $1.25 million anonymous donation through the Orange County Community Foundation earmarked for use for a cultural arts or educational center.[12] After renovation, Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens opened its doors to the public in 2003.[13]

2023 landslides[edit]

Cracks were discovered in the hillside below the house on April 16, 2023. On April 25, the city council approved funding for a study on how to stabilize the hillside. On April 27, a landslide just below the patio caused it to separate and to slip more than 20 feet, together with the landscaping. Casa Romantica was closed until further notice.[14][15] The landslide also displaced residents of a nearby apartment complex, and led to the suspension of rail services on the line below the hillside, including Metrolink service between Orange County and the Inland Empire in one direction and Oceanside in another.[14] As of May 4, limited BNSF freight service had resumed with restricted speeds,[16] and as of May 27, passenger service had also resumed on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and the Metrolink Orange County and Inland Empire–Orange County lines.[17]

The city of San Clemente began emergency work to stabilize the hillside.[18] The Casa Romantica Cultural Center planned to reopen parts of the estate as soon as late May, with some upcoming cultural events to be hosted off-site.[19] Repairs were expected to cost at least $250,000 and a fundraising campaign was started.[20]

Another landslide occurred on June 5, 2023, and rail service was again suspended.[18] The city and transportation agencies are considering construction of a retaining wall at the base of the hill to protect the rail line.[15] In July 2023, the Orange County Transportation Authority and the city of San Clemente are constructing the retaining wall. The tracks reopened on July 19, 2023.

Organization[edit]

View of the Pacific Ocean through the arcade at Casa Romantica

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.

The center provides programs for all ages in arts, music, history, horticulture, and literature,[13] including more than 60 concerts, workshops, classes, recitals, lectures, and other events per year. These include the Classical Music Festival and Academy[21] and a specially commissioned version of Shakespeare's Hamlet.[22]

Casa Romantica is a member of the American Horticultural Society. The 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) of gardens (half the original estate was sold in the mid-20th century)[23] include some of Ole Hansen's original plantings made in 1927, and also a display of Native American plants used by the Acjachmen Indians.[2]

Casa Romantica is used for special events including weddings, photography and videography shoots, and corporate events. It has been listed as a top Orange County destination in WeddingWire,[24] Sunset magazine,[25] The Knot,[26] and AAA's Westways magazine.[27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "CALIFORNIA (CA), Orange County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Casa Romantica – San Clemente -". Casaromantica.org. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  3. ^ Saari, Laura (October 20, 2023). "Casa Romantica Relies on the Village". Orange Coast Magazine. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Swegles, Fred. "How a 6.8 quake in 1925 shook things up for San Clemente". The Orange County Register. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  5. ^ "History". Casa Romantica - San Clemente, CA. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Akers, Cole (April 20, 2006). "South County Poetics: Casa Romantica Poetry Series". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012.
  7. ^ "Oscar Easley Block Photographic Gallery". Npgallery.npd.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Casa Romantica" (pdf). National Archives. December 27, 1991. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Ole Hanson's Dream (San Clemente)". California Historian. Conference of California Historical Societies. Archived from the original on April 28, 2011.
  10. ^ "the Jewel of San Clemente". San Clemente Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  11. ^ Staff report (PDF) (Report). California Coastal Commission. November 13, 2001. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  12. ^ Gottlieb, Jeff (March 27, 1999). "Gift Enables Arts Center at Historic Home". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Casa Romantica Celebrates 95th Anniversary with Connective Programming Series". San Clemente Times. August 4, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Pulliam, Tim (April 30, 2023). "Historic Casa Romantica in San Clemente red-tagged, hundreds displaced after destructive landslide". ABC 7.
  15. ^ a b Smith, C. Jayden (June 7, 2023). "City Searching for Permanent Solution to Address Casa Landslide". San Clemente Times.
  16. ^ Diehl, Phil (May 4, 2023). "San Diego freight trains resume travel past San Clemente landslide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Dawson, Danielle (May 27, 2023). "Amtrak, Metrolink service cleared to resume after landslide". Fox 5 Dan Diego.
  18. ^ a b Chamings, Andrew (June 7, 2023) [June 6, 2023]. "Another landslide causes California mansion to crumble, trains below stopped indefinitely". SFGate.
  19. ^ "Update from Casa Romantica". Casa Romantica. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Raymundo, Shawn (May 8, 2023). "Casa Romantica Turns to Community for Support Following Landslide". San Clemente Times.
  21. ^ "Broken Dream Becomes Grander Reality in South OC". Orange County Business Journal. September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  22. ^ Hertzog, Christian (April 15, 2015). "Hamlet Takes Over a Lavish Beachfront Mansion". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  23. ^ "Ole Hanson Home – Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens". Casaromantica.org. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  24. ^ "Editors' Picks: Best Architecture". Weddingwire.com. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  25. ^ "One perfect day in San Clemente, CA". Sunset. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  26. ^ "Wedding Reception Venues > Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens". The Knot. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  27. ^ "Automobile Club of Southern California - 2016-day-trip-san-clemente". Calif.aaa.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.

External links[edit]

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