History Lesson 2 Ole Hanson- The historic character of San Clemente is largely attributable to the vision of real estate developer and founder Ole Hanson. Hanson had long dreamed of developing a model seaside community, what he called a “Spanish Village by the Sea.”
In 1925, Hanson partnered with a longtime business associate, millionaire financier and oil man Hamilton H. Cotton. Cotton was heading up a syndicate of bankers and businessmen to purchase the land that became San Clemente. Hanson saw his opportunity and became the largest investor in the syndicate, backed by forty-five others, owning some 2,000 acres of land. The city was laid out by engineers Horace Taylor and William Ayer.
When the Orange County Board of Supervisors rejected his first plat plan out of fear of the untested concept of master planning an entire municipality and dedicating public streets where there was yet no city, Hanson instead filed the city map as a surveyor’s map and retained ownership of the roads himself. On December 6, 1926, the first lots in San Clemente went up for sale. By the end of the month, foundations were being laid for the town’s first buildings. In the first six months, 1,200 lots were sold for $1,250,000; a record in real estate sales of the type by Los Angeles realty dealers at the time.
As you scroll through photos you’ll see some of the earliest addition to the North Beach neighborhood including the Beach Club, The Casino, Aquarium Cafe, Theatre and Bowling Alley. Subsequent posts will include detailed insight on each one of these attractions. The Hollywood stars that visited these sites regularly is fascinating.
Information provided by the North Beach Historic District
