Ole Hanson Home

This charming house in the Spanish 

colonial architectural style is the first home of Ole Hanson, the visionary founder of San Clement, "The Spanish Village by the Sea". Ole was the fifth of six  children born to Norwegian immigrants ,and the  only one born in America.  Partially paralyzed by a train accident, he sternly adopted a regime of strenuous exercise by walking the 2,800 miles from  his home in Michigan  to Seattle at the back of his prairie schooner.

He eventually became mayor of Seattle, had various buisness enterprizes and  finally settled on real estate development. He purchased the 2000 acre community in 1925.  San Clemente was one of the first master-planned communities in the US.

  His ambitious plan for the city included a clubhuse, equestrian trails, a city swimming pool a hospital and many more desirable features, all to be built in the Spanish Coloniial style.

Ole Hanson' s final home is Casa Romantica, also on my website.  It is a cultural landmark , hosting many significant events.

This stretch of coastline was dicovered by the explorer Vizcaino on November 23rd, 1602 and named for the patron Saint of that day as a tribute to him:  Saint Clement.