When Ole Hanson and his partners founded San Clemente, one of their goals was to provide two social club buildings for the citizens in town to host their social events. If you had bought a lot in this new master-planned town of San Clemente, you were given a free membership to both of these social clubs. One was the Community Center in downtown San Clemente on Avenida Del Mar and the other was the Beach Club at the north end of town. Both of these buildings have been used for many dances and social events since the town was founded in 1928. Later, in 1937, the Casino was built and this also became a popular place for dances and social galas. 

San Clemente has been hosting dance parties since its beginning and the San Clemente Historical Society First Annual Swing Dance event is coming to San Clemente in honor of our town’s history of galas. It is hosting the event at the Community Center on September 7, 2024, and while this event will attract Swing Dancers from around California and beyond, the Historical Society is also hoping to attract many San Clemente locals as well.

 Swing dancing has a popular following. It began in the 1920s in the ballrooms and jazz clubs of Harlem and has evolved over the decades into a popular pastime for many. The Lindy Hop is a popular form of Swing Dance that evolved in the 1930s from African American origins. It was named after the famous aviator, Charles Lindberg who was known as Lucky Lindy for his non-stop flight from New York to Paris. This popular dance style was even featured on the cover of Life Magazine in 1943 because of its popularity.

Swing dancing has evolved over the years into a popular event all over the United States. In the 1920s when radio became available to many families, the favorite music played was Jazz. Swing dancing was most popular in the 1930s and 1940s, and its popularity continues today. Its dance moves have evolved with the music, and this style is the foundation of other dance styles including disco, country line dancing and hip hop. clubs and contests are still held around the world today.

When the Community Center was built in 1926 it became the center of the social life in San Clemente. They even had an employee, Mrs. J. Harmon Caskey, whose title was “Resident Hostess.” Her job was to manage the affairs at the club and she hosted many dances and parties in the clubhouse over the years.

The original clubhouse was two stories and built in the architectural Spanish Colonial Revival style. Unfortunately, much of the building was burned down in 1970 with only the front room remaining untouched by the fire. The rest of the building was rebuilt in a more modern style and with only one floor instead of two. The original second floor had contained an art gallery, a solarium, men’s smoking room, and dressing rooms. There was also a rooftop deck with views of the ocean and the hills.

This clubhouse was the scene of many events including teas, bridge parties, dances, lectures and musicales and many noted musical artists of the day appeared there. The fire in February of 1970 damaged most of the building except for the front room which was retained. The city decided to tear down the entire building except for that one remaining room and the new design was a contemporary building mixed with a Spanish design. The City hired two local architects, Eric Boucher and Arthur Drielsma to redesign the center and it was Arthur Drielsma who suggested keeping the one remaining room as part of the new design.

Today the clubhouse functions as a gathering space for many events and there is also an art gallery in the building. The Swing Dance event in September will take place in the clubhouse which is now called the Community Center.

 

The Casino was designed as a dancing casino, not for gambling, and wasn’t built until 1937.

When it was completed, it attracted over 5,000 people on opening night. Opening night felt like a Hollywood gala complete with searchlights into the night sky. The Casino soon became a popular social and cultural destination, frequented by celebrities including Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Cesar Romeo and Dorothy Lamour.

According to historic newspaper articles, this large domed building was constructed in just a few months by a crew of over a thousand workers who were available for low wages near the end of the Great Depression. The unusual building was designed by the architect, Charles A. Hunter and it was built by the Strang Brothers who were the most prolific contractors of San Clemente at the time.

San Clemente’s Casino quickly became known for its famous talent including orchestras, dance bands and live radio broadcasts running six nights a week. The building also featured a cocktail bar, ballroom, floating lights, air conditioning and a sound system. Famous celebrities performed and attended events there.

As the Jazz Age faded, so did the dance hall scene.