Evacuation orders issued as land continues to move beneath Casa Romantica in San Clemente

Land movement at San Clemente's historic Casa Romantica site not only collapsed part of the casa's terrace patio Thursday afternoon, but falling debris also caused rail lines below the bluff to shut down as a precautionary measure.

Amtrack's Pacific Surfliner, an iconic route that just reopened 11 days ago, shut down again after cliffside work to stabilize a landslide had closed the tracks for six months. Amtrack passengers will have a bus bridge from Irvine to Oceanside until the track reopens.

Metrolink also shut down operations in the same area Thursday around 1 p.m. The closure affects Metrolink's Orange County Line and Inland Empire-Orange County Line, Metrolink passengers will not have service between Mission Viejo and Oceanside. Operators say the tracks will remain closed until further notice.

On Friday, San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan said that the city opted to evacuate all of the residents living in the condominium building next door to Casa Romantica as land continued to give way underneath the cultural landmark. 

"A little bit more of the hillside was moving towards the railroad tracks," said Mayor Duncan. "We also made the difficult decision, as a city, to red-tag all 24 units in the bottom building." 

The location of this recent hillside movement is about two miles north of where the Orange County Transportation Authority is completing construction work on the successfully stopped hillside slope movement near the Cyprus Shore Homeowners Association in San Clemente.

At the Casa Romantica site, just April 16 the city approved geological studies of the land after cracks appeared on the casa's patio concrete floor. Crews had been drilling to install measurement equipment when the ground began moving more Thursday. By Thursday, just after 1 p.m., part of the patio collapsed down the hillside.

The city of San Clemente is bringing on a geologist to assess the stability of the cliff. Four condominiums have been red tagged and the Casa Romantica cultural center is closed as a cautionary measure.

Casa Romantica, the 2.5-acre property that sits atop the bluff, is the historic home of the city's founder, Ole Hanson. It is now used as a cultural and events center with gardens, an open-air courtyard, an amphitheater, and ocean views from its terrace and patios.

"We care for this building because it belongs to the community, This is very important to them because they come on site (to Casa Romantica) and feel ownership,  said Ruth Denault, founding Trustee