Casa Romantica
Consistent with his vision of a “Spanish Village by the Sea,” San Clemente founder Ole Hanson built his home, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the Spanish Colonial Revival in 1927. Hanson forfeited ownership of the property in 1934 during the Great Depression. It wasn’t until 1946 that it was actually called Casa Romantica although its name changed a time or two in following years. The property passed through many hands before the San Clemente Redevelopment Agency bought it and registered it on the National Register of Historic Places. It was renovated and opened as Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens in 2003. On April 27, 2023, a landslide just below the patio caused it to separate and to slip more than 20 feet, together with the landscaping. Another landslide occurred on June 5, 2023. A city-funded stabilization project started in late July 2023 with an expected completion within a year.
San Clemente, Orange County
Images by Andrew Schmidt