By Christine Lampert Virgil Westbrook, blueprints in hand, during construction of the community pool in 1928. Imagine San Clemente in the 1920s as a small village where nearly every building reflected Spanish style architecture. At one time, the town had over 500...
By Christine Lampert, Architect, AIA, NCARB Photo courtesy of the San Clemente Historical Society There once was a beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival mansion on the hill just south of the San Clemente Pier, right above the Beachcomber Motel. It was built in 1928 by...
El Caminante Bar & Bungalows in Capo Beach El Caminante Bar & Bungalows was once the famous Swallows Motel, hangout to the rich and famous in the 1940s, but it fell into disrepair in the late 1900s. The recent renovation and upgrades to the hotel have...
Popularity Stirs Need for Beach Lifeguards San Clemente beaches had become such a huge tourist attraction by 1931, that the city council voted to approve the first beach lifeguard service to help prevent any drownings. Just south of the pier was the first lifeguard...
History Lesson: The San Clemente Pier By Christine Lampert, Architect, AJA, NCARB Ole Hanson, the founder of San Clemente, built the pier and then gave it back to the community as a gift. The pier was a great place for locals and visitors to fish and to enjoy the...
By Christine Lampert Original Publication The founders of San Clemente built the San Clemente pier as an attraction to the people coming to buy lots in the new master-planned community. Ole Hanson was the visionary of the founding group that planned on creating a town...
