Some buildings provide a backdrop to a city, others become part of its identity. For 100 years, Casa del Mar has stood at the edge of Santa Monica, its red-tiled roof, Renaissance Revival façade and sweeping arched windows facing a Pacific Ocean that has remained constant even as nearly everything surrounding it has changed.
Opened May 1, 1926, as the exclusive Club Casa del Mar, the building arrived as Santa Monica was establishing itself as one of Southern California’s most fashionable seaside destinations. A century later, its centennial coincides with another transformative moment as the region moves from the FIFA World Cup toward Super Bowl LXI in 2027 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
For Casa del Mar, the anniversary is more than a look back at its Jazz Age beginnings. It is an opportunity to position one of Santa Monica’s most historic buildings at the center of the city’s next chapter—using hospitality, dining, music and cultural programming to welcome global visitors while giving residents new reasons to walk through its doors.
Designed by Los Angeles architect Charles F. Plummer in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, Club Casa del Mar reportedly cost $2 million to build, an extraordinary investment at the time. The property quickly became one of the West Coast’s most glamorous private beach clubs, attracting Hollywood stars and Southern California’s social elite.
Its grand lobby, coffered ceilings, Mediterranean tilework and oversized windows overlooking the Pacific created the feeling of an Italian palazzo transported to the California coast. Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo and Marion Davies were among the prominent figures associated with its early years, but Casa del Mar’s history is not a straight line from private club to luxury hotel. The building has repeatedly reinvented itself.
In 1941, the U.S. Navy took control of the property during World War II and used it for military personnel. By 1960, the original club had closed. In 1967, the building became the headquarters of Synanon, an organization founded as a drug rehabilitation program that later became controversial for its authoritarian practices.
Another transformation followed in 1978, when nutritionist Nathan Pritikin turned the property into the Pritikin Longevity Center. Spaces that once hosted Jazz Age parties became part of a program centered on nutrition, exercise and heart health, anticipating the wellness movement that would become closely associated with Southern California.
The Edward Thomas Hospitality Corporation, owner of neighboring Shutters on the Beach, acquired the building in 1997 and undertook a restoration valued at more than $50 million. Casa del Mar reopened as a luxury hotel in 1999 with 129 guest rooms, including 17 suites, and was later listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Its centennial programming is now bringing those different chapters to life. Centennial Memory Walls display archival photographs from the original beach club, while Prohibition-inspired cocktails, live music and anniversary dining experiences evoke the atmosphere of the 1920s. A seasonal prix-fixe menu priced at $192.60 offers a playful reference to the year the property first opened.
“What truly sets Casa del Mar apart is the people who bring it to life every day,” Charlie Lopez-Quintana, vice president and managing director of ETC Hotels, said in announcing the centennial. “Our team greets, serves and cares for guests with warmth and consistency that never goes out of style. Their dedication is the heartbeat of the hotel. And of course, having the Pacific Ocean as our backyard doesn’t hurt either.”
That emphasis on experience and human connection will become increasingly important as Santa Monica competes for attention during Southern California’s coming cycle of global sporting events.
Santa Monica welcomed approximately 3.9 million visitors in 2025, according to Santa Monica Travel & Tourism. Those visitors contributed an estimated $996.6 million to the local economy, while international visitation increased 4.1%. Tourism supported 6,444 local jobs, and Santa Monica hotels generated $60.2 million for the city’s General Fund, helping pay for essential services.
Hotel revenue is projected to surpass $400 million in 2026, an increase of 9.8% from the previous year. Occupancy is expected to rise from 72.9% to 76.3%, with hotel demand growing 4.6%, driven partly by the global events arriving across the region.
Following the World Cup, Super Bowl LXI will bring another surge of national and international attention when it is played at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 14, 2027. One year later, Los Angeles will welcome athletes and spectators for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Although competitions will take place across the region, the economic opportunity will stretch far beyond stadium walls. Visitors will need places to stay, dine, gather, entertain clients and experience Southern California between events. Santa Monica has an opportunity to become the beachfront home base through which many of those travelers encounter Los Angeles.
Casa del Mar’s yearlong centennial provides a model for how historic hotels can respond. Its dining, music and cultural experiences turn the property into more than a collection of guest rooms. They create a connection to place.
The next opportunity is to expand that spirit as the world arrives: opening gathering spaces to residents and visitors, presenting cultural conversations, hosting athlete and community programming, and creating experiences that encourage guests to explore surrounding restaurants, retailers and neighborhoods.
At 100, Casa del Mar possesses something that cannot be newly constructed: a century of stories with a future that will depend on making that history feel accessible and alive.