La Casa Pacifica
La Casa Pacifica ( Spanish for " The Pacific House " or " The House of Peace " ) is a large villa in San Clemente in the U.S. state of California, which is on the coast above the Pacific Ocean. The property was 1969-1980 the residence of former U.S. President Richard Nixon. It included at this time a total area of around 121,000 square meters. By the sea below the house is the so-called Trestles one of the most famous surfing beaches in the country. A street in the vicinity of the site was christened in memory of its famous owner Avenida del Presidente.
History
La Casa Pacifica was built shortly after the founding of the city of San Clemente in 1925. The property is decorated in Spanish Colonial style and was inspired by the appearance of a country estate in San Sebastián in Spain. The building's architect was Carl Lindbom. One of the first owner of the house was Henry Hamilton Cotton, a senior member of the Democratic Party. During this time, the later U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a guest several times around here to play poker with him.
When Richard Nixon in 1969 took over the office of President of the United States, he instructed a member of his election campaign with a search for a holiday home on the coast of Southern California. As the choice fell on a property in the then little- known small town of San Clemente, it was bought by the President in the same year Cottons widow. The house was located only about 40 miles ( 64 km) away from his birthplace in Yorba Linda. From Nixon initially called " La Casa Pacifica ", the house, however, soon received the nickname "The Western White House ". This term refers to the now generally prperty the U.S. president in the west of the country.
After the purchase of the property Nixon had to make several modifications to adapt it to his needs and safety requirements of the Secret Service. Thus, the tennis court was replaced by a swimming pool and built a 460 -meter-long wall around the house. During his tenure, the President received here several important state guests, including the Soviet head of state Leonid Brezhnev, Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, the South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thieu and Prime Minister Eisaku Satō the Japanese.
After the end of his presidency in 1974, he sat down with his wife Pat Nixon in San Clemente to rest, where he wrote his memoirs. The now famous interview with David Frost Nixon in April 1977 should have taken place at La Casa Pacifica, but was held in the house of a friend in the neighboring Dana Point short term. In the late 1980s, he eventually relocated to Park Ridge in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The house was then bought by Gavin S. Herbert, founder of the pharmaceutical company Allergan.
The property is now privately owned and is therefore only from the beach to see. However, the history and the legacy of Richard Nixon's deal with the city of San Clemente until today. A parallel to Interstate 5 running street was named in memory of its famous residents Avenida del Presidente.
In art and media
In La Casa Pacifica some exterior shots for the film Frost / Nixon (2008) were filmed. The production tells the story of the legendary interviews between former U.S. President Richard Nixon and the TV host David Frost in April 1977. The call was transferred to reality, however, the short term in a house in the neighboring town of Dana Point.