By Christine Lampert
The building at the top of Avenida Del Mar has a sign that says “Historic City Hall.” Most people would assume this to be true, but, in fact, this building was only a temporary City Hall.
The city rented space in this building in the early days and also space across the street in the Bartlett Building. A newspaper article from 1938 states that three office spaces were rented for $55 per month.
In 1938, the city purchased another building as the actual City Hall at 408 N. El Camino Real. Today, the sign on the front of that building says “Zuma,” and there is very little information about its history other than that it was built in 1928.
The Historic City Hall building at the top of Avenida Del Mar is also called the Oscar Easley Building, named after the man who built it in 1929. The building did serve as the city clerk’s office and, over the years, has housed Bank of America, business offices, a music store and the San Clemente Historical Society Museum and Archives.
Today, the spaces are rented out to various businesses by the current owner.
Oscar Easley was one of the original residents of San Clemente. He was the concrete contractor for many of the buildings and sidewalks in town. He served on the first City Council, and he was the commissioner of Streets and Sidewalks for the city.
He poured the concrete foundation for Ole Hanson’s house, the Casa Romantica. His company laid out the original paved street along El Camino Real. Two years after paving El Camino Real, he acquired the property across the street from Ole Hanson’s office to build his building.
The building is a great example of Moorish-Spanish Architecture. It is on the National Historic Registry of Historic Places and is designated a historic landmark by the City of San Clemente.
The building is two stories, 9,845 square feet and contains 22 offices. Virgil Westbrook, the architect, was one of the most well-known at the time.
Many of the buildings in town were designed by Westbrook, including the Bartlett Building across the street from the Easley Building and the San Clemente Hotel just down the street on Avenida Del Mar. He also designed the Ole Hanson Beach Club in North Beach.
His designs were inspirational and magical. He knew how to incorporate the fine and fluid details of Spanish Revival Architecture into his projects, and his proportions were perfect. San Clemente’s founder, Ole Hanson, was a big fan of his work and hired him to design many of the community buildings in town.
The Easley Building was built by Strang Brothers Construction, which built many of the commercial buildings and homes in early San Clemente.
Oscar Easley’s legacy as the concrete contractor in town can still be seen on some of the historical sidewalks around town. They say “O.F. Easley Contractor.”
In 1936, the Easley Building was foreclosed upon and became the Bank of America building for many years.
Christine Lampert is a member of the San Clemente Historical Society, as well as the American Institute of Architects (AIA,) and has designed many projects in San Clemente and in California. She has been a professor of architecture at USC, OCC and SCAD Hong Kong. She and her family have lived in San Clemente for more than 46 years.
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