Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Garden

In 1925 Ole Hanson, a real estate developer, bought 2,000 acres of land on the California coast. Los Angeles was about an hour north and San Diego was about an hour south with not much but barren rolling hills between. Hanson’s plan was to transform the property into a Spanish-style coastal resort town. All of the houses and community buildings were to be built in Spanish Colonial Revival style with red tile roofs and whitewashed stucco.

Hanson reserved 5 acres in the center of the development, overlooking the ocean, to build his own vacation home. Unfortunately the house was mortgaged and he lost it to the bank during the Great Recession. The property passed through several hands before it was bought in the 1980s by a non-profit group who renovated it to serve as a cultural center for the community.

The house is fairly simple consisting of a large center courtyard with a covered patio around the perimeter and doors leading into the rooms. Originally there were six bedrooms with bathrooms, a living room, dining room, a kitchen, and an office. Several walls between the bedrooms have been removed to make room for history and fine arts exhibits. Some of the rooms are furnished as the would have been when the Hanson family occupied the home. The garden area is now only half the original size and is planted with small themed gardens. The rear terrace has a great view of the ocean but there’s no direct access to the beach from the property.