• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
San Clemente Times
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • Money Matters
    • Best of San Clemente
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Triton Football Preview
    • Go See Do
    • The Green Issue
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • Money Matters
    • Best of San Clemente
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Triton Football Preview
    • Go See Do
    • The Green Issue
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
San Clemente Times
No Result
View All Result

Casa Romatica Turns 90: Historic Event Venue Will Host Celebration on Sept. 3

Staff by Staff
August 17, 2017 5:02AM
in EYE ON SC, News Headlines
Casa Romatica Turns 90: Historic Event Venue Will Host Celebration on Sept. 3

Casa Romantica board director Ruth DeNault, left, and executive director Berenika Schmitz also with the nonprofit’s staff, have collaborated to bring hundreds of programs and performances to Casa Romantica over the last four years. Photo: Eric Heinz

0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Casa Romantica board director Ruth DeNault, left, and executive director Berenika Schmitz also with the nonprofit’s staff, have collaborated to bring hundreds of programs and performances to Casa Romantica over the last four years. Photo: Eric Heinz
Casa Romantica board director Ruth DeNault, left, and executive director Berenika Schmitz also with the nonprofit’s staff, have collaborated to bring hundreds of programs and performances to Casa Romantica over the last four years. Photo: Eric Heinz

By Eric Heinz

History seeps from every nook and cranny of the former home of San Clemente’s founder.

Casa Romantica has changed hands many times, but its original structure has remained mostly the same, with the exception of much-needed renovation in its near-century existence.
On Sunday, Sept. 3, in conjunction with the D. Yoder Family Sundays, the property will celebrate turning 90 years old. The landmark anniversary will be honored by the staff at Casa Romantica who will host a gathering with music, cake and a toast to the center. People are encouraged to dress in 1920s attire, a throwback to the era when Ole Hanson, the founder of San Clemente, owned the home.

“The house was lost by the Hanson family and reverted to the Bank of America, and then one of the ladies who lived in town lived there,” said Ruth DeNault, the chair of the Casa Romantica board. “Many families have owned it over the years, and then it became a retirement home.”
Eventually, the owners were unable to keep the property maintained, as decades of wear and tear had taken toll. It was eventually sold to the city of San Clemente in the 1990s, leased as a private event center.

“Fortunately, an anonymous donor gave $1.25 million to the city, if it could become a cultural center,” DeNault said. “We formed a board and started to raise money. It took quite a while because the place was quite run-down.”

The gardens, some of the patios and some other buildings were either restored or demolished completely, replaced by the amphitheater and other amenities.

“It’s so wonderful to welcome the members and non-members of the community here,” DeNault said.

A refurbished amphitheater is currently being examined by the city’s Planning Services Department, with full seating and a safer design, according to plans submitted by Casa Romantica.

Berenika Schmitz, the executive director of the Casa, said she and her staff are trying to schedule events and programs at least two years in advance. The Casa has a schedule available on its website.

“When I came on in 2013, we started ‘Casa Captivating’ and started classifying the events, and in the past four years they’ve flourished, and we’ve been able to sell-out many of our events,” Schmitz said. “The idea is to get farther and farther ahead to provide transformative programming, and now we have the time to do that.”

The Casa has also increased its membership tenfold in the last four years from 90 to 900. Attendance at events has soared and events have increased, according to a report published in May.

A recent event, the Rebecca Louise Law flower installment, was described by Schmitz as being a “really watershed image.” The installation allowed people to walk through suspended blooms that hung on wires.

“It was phenomenal in getting new people here,” DeNault said.

Schimtz said the team wants to continue exploring fundraising opportunities and to show that it’s a place worth sustaining. Maintenance is always going to be one of the most expensive costs to the facility.

“We want to get people excited about preserving the Casa,” Schmitz said.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags: AnniversaryCasa RomanticaCultureEntertainmentEventFeaturedOrange CountySan Clemente
ShareTweetPin
Staff

Staff

Related Posts

CoastLines by Fred Swegles: Say It Ain’t So, Mr. President!

City to Honor Late Fred Swegles with Photo Display in City Hall

February 8, 2023
San Clemente Boys Soccer Starts Fast, Beats San Juan Hills to Keep South Coast League Tight

San Clemente Boys Soccer Earns No. 4 Seed, Four SCHS Teams Slotted in CIF-SS Playoff Brackets

February 6, 2023
Editor’s Pick: 45th Annual San Clemente Ocean Festival

Council to Discuss Photo Display for the Late Fred Swegles

February 6, 2023
South County Veterans Honor 80th Anniversary of the ‘Immortal Chaplains’

South County Veterans Honor 80th Anniversary of the ‘Immortal Chaplains’

February 8, 2023
Next Post
Wavelengths: Cabrillo ‘Discovers’ T Street

Wavelengths: Past is Prologue in San Clemente

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

SC Times Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get the SC Times delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Dana Point Times
  • The Capistrano Dispatch
  • Terms of Use
  • About Us

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • Money Matters
    • Best of San Clemente
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Triton Football Preview
    • Go See Do
    • The Green Issue
  • SC Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2023 Picket Fence Media