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More land sliding at Casa Romantica; residents evacuated, trains halted through San Clemente

April 28, 2023

More soil slid down a slope beneath San Clemente’s historic Casa Romantica overnight, prompting officials to red tag and evacuate condominiums in a building located below and slightly north of the landmark. Train service remains halted through San Clemente.

On Friday morning, Mayor Chris Duncan said he was meeting with Kiel Koger, the city’s Public Works director, to see what the immediate concerns there are.

An already weakened pation at the back of the 2.5-acre Casa Romantica estate slipped another 8-10 feet Thursday afternoon while a geologic firm was drilling to get boring samples to study the extent of a growing landslide. (Photo courtesy of Steve Knoblock)

Casa Romantica in San Clemente, CA, on Friday, April 21, 2023. San Clemente city officials said a close eye is being kept on a steep slope under Casa Romantica, where several inch-wide cracks found were expanding on the historic landmark’s terrace overlooking the ocean. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a historic home originally owned by Ole Hanson, the founder of San Clemente. (Courtesy of Casa Romantica)

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“There was slight movement overnight and some of the dirt made it closer to the railroad,” Duncan said. “More of the lower units had to be evacuated late last night.”

At about 10:30 p.m., Duncan said an Orange County Fire Authority search and rescue unit assisted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department with telling residents to leave the condominium building. Officials said six of the units were full-time residences.

“It was done out of an abundance of caution,” Duncan said.

Officials, including Koger, said the condos are not likely to slide down the hill because the building is on caissons pushed deep into the slope, but those units in the lower levels are being surrounded by falling debris, which could damage windows or otherwise endanger occupants.

The ground first showed evidence of movement on April 16, when some inch-wide cracks appeared on the casa’s ocean-view terrace. The city, which owns the century-old landmark, had a $75,000 geology study started on Tuesday to determine the extent of earth movement and to see if there was an ancient landslide below.

Over the last week, the cracks grew to feet, and the back portion of a smaller terrace on the 2.5-acre estate gave way on Thursday, April 27, its concrete base pulling away from the tiles and dropping nearly 10 feet.

The debris on Friday was even closer to the tracks and passenger and freight service between Laguna Niguel and Oceanside remained stopped “in an abundance of caution,” officials with Metrolink and the Orange County Transportation Agency said.

Service will only resume when it is determined safe, officials have said. Updates can be found on the OCTA, Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner social media and websites.

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Daily commuter service had only resumed early last week through town after several months of emergency repairs to a section of the coastal track further south that had been shifting because of a slipping hillside on one side and waves crashing on the other.

Casa Romantica is the historic home of the city’s founder, Ole Hanson, and is now used as a cultural and events center. The property overlooking the San Clemente pier, features gardens, an open-air courtyard, an amphitheater and ocean views from its terrace and patios.

As of now, all events planned there are canceled until future notice. The center had planned to host a Celtic Festival this weekend and had at least nine private events, including weddings, scheduled in the next month.

“The safety and well-being of our guests, patrons, volunteers, and staff remain our top priority,” Amy Behren, the center’s executive director, said Thursday. “We appreciate everyone’s understanding, and we will keep you updated on the status of the re-opening and rescheduling of events.”

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