As appeared in The San Clemente Times Business Buzz column here
Read Our Latest San Clemente Times Column: "My Afternoon With Ole."
By Arrow Santos
Of the “7 Wonders of the Ancient World,” only one remains today: the Great Pyramid of Giza. The other six have been lost to history, with the occasional rubble heap left behind.
To be fair, the Great Pyramid started as a stone pile and has dutifully remained as such ever since. The rest of those once irreplaceable locations are essentially of no relevance today.
Recently, San Clemente’s very own “Wonder” of the not-so-ancient world, Casa Romantica, nearly turned into a pile of stones.
Coastal cliffside instability under the Casa led to two major landslides in recent months, causing significant damage to the estate, disruption to railroad service on the tracks below, and uncertainty about the future of this nationally registered historic site.
Several organizations are assessing the damages and working on plans for repair. The Casa’s immediate goal is to fundraise $250,000 to recuperate lost operating expenses from canceled events because of the landslides. The entire repair costs are estimated in the deep millions.
There is hope that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could cover a majority of this cost, as reported extensively by San Clemente Times. Casa Romantica has reopened to the public with much of the exterior grounds fenced off and a portion of the interior closed as a public safety precaution.
Constructed in 1927-28 as the family home for San Clemente’s founder, Ole Hanson, the Casa was simply known as “Ole’s House” and wasn’t given its now-renowned name until 1946—long after the Hansons had moved out and several intermittent owners had come and gone.
Purchased by the City of San Clemente in 1989, it has operated as the nonprofit Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens since 2003 to preserve the regional history, art, and culture of San Clemente.
I spent an immersive three hours journeying through Casa Romantica this week.
Talking to the wonderfully knowledgeable volunteer staff, taking pictures of the intricate details throughout the estate, reminiscing on learning how to swim at Ole’s Beach Club across town, and imagining the noises of the many Hanson children and exotic animals that used to roam the open courtyard created a momentary portal to the past lives that walked these same halls.
Past and present entangled into one moment: we were all here for the same reasons, just at different times, chasing the same dream, fighting for the same San Clemente way of life.
Ole created an unrivaled vision of a community that allows people to focus on the complex and beautiful world around them, lead an active, healthy lifestyle, and create generational prosperity—the perfect place to raise a family and engage in business.
When the past holds our future, suddenly we care that it is remembered. Casa Romantica isn’t special because it’s an old house, but, instead, because it represents all that we love about San Clemente.
It’s the quintessential experience of our Spanish Village by the Sea. It’s relaxing and peaceful. The reinvigorating salt air kisses your skin as you walk through the garden. A mixture of laughter and memories can be found at the end of each breeze gust carrying summertime noises up the bluffs from the sand-covered kids below.
Ole Hanson started San Clemente; you and I keep it San Clemente. It’s the people, then the place. San Clemente is not great because it is ours; we made it ours because it was great. We bought into Ole’s vision and now live it out daily, ensuring the character of San Clemente continues.
Your home is Casa Romantica. My home is Casa Romantica. Here’s to all of us: the Oles of today.
On behalf of the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, conduct your business in the way San Clemente deserves, create a present worthy of being the future’s past, and donate to the Casa’s recovery effort at casaromantica.org/landslide-fundraiser.
Arrow Santos is a San Clemente native, professional writer/photographer, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup enthusiast, and follower of Jesus. As marketing director of WynneCRE, he has shown his dedication to helping small businesses with their commercial real estate needs and protecting San Clemente’s small-town interests through active community participation and reporting on business news topics. Email Arrow at arrow@wynnecre.com or call/text at 949.257.2093.