La Casa Pacifica, the 5.5-acre San Clemente estate that was home to former President Richard Nixon, now has a $65 million asking price.
The property has been on and off the market for several years; it was last listed for $57.5 million in 2019 before being pulled.
Rob Giem of Compass still has the listing for the property, which includes nine bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and sprawling lawns and gardens among other extravagant amenities.
“It’s an incredibly private home in an amazing location on the coast,” Giem said.
Allergan Ties
The home is at 4100 Calle Isabella in the gated Cotton Point Estates neighborhood of San Clemente, and has counted just three owners throughout its nearly 100-year-old history.
This includes Nixon, who acquired the mansion in 1969 from Victoria Carson Cotton, the widow of Henry H. Cotton, the financier and co-developer of the city of San Clemente.
The Nixon estate, dubbed La Casa Pacifica, also became known as the Western White House during his tenure as president.
Nixon and his wife, Pat, retired there after he resigned in 1974.
The Nixons sold the home in the 1980s to Gavin Herbert, founder of drugmaker Allergan Inc. and chairman of Roger’s Gardens, the well-known Newport Beach nursery and boutique that Herbert bought in 1970 from Roger McKinnon.
The Roger’s Gardens website notes that Herbert developed friendships over the years “with some of Orange County’s elite,” including Nixon, Ronald Reagan and John Wayne.
Herbert also developed the grounds surrounding La Casa Pacifica where several custom homes were built.
Features
The estate is on two parcels with 450 linear feet of beach frontage. It’s enclosed by private walls and fences.
Designed with Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, the property has been featured three times in Architectural Digest.
The different structures at the property total 15,000 square feet of living area, including a 9,000-square-foot main residence.
The property counts several notable features including a screening room, wine cellar, a poolside rotunda with bedrooms and entertaining rooms, tennis court, an enclosed gazebo on the oceanfront and expansive lawns and various gardens.
Continued Demand
Demand has not let up for the luxury real estate market, specifically in Orange County, which continues to benefit from strong buyer interest coming from both inside and out of the county.
“One of the greatest things about our coastal market is the whole world doesn’t know about it, which is great for the people who live here and who want to live here,” Giem said.
“Unlike other areas, Orange County is not overrated.”
This demand also continues to deplete the region’s already limited inventory, especially for luxe homes along the coast.
“There’s been such a nice selection for so many years, but that’s now changing,” said Giem, who urges interested buyers to act sooner rather than later.
“If you see something you like, you should buy it,” Giem said.
Correction
The seller of Laguna Beach’s 2620 Riviera, referenced in the May 24 luxury column titled “Trio of Homes Could Sell at Abalone Point,” is not planning to buy another home at the exclusive Abalone Point community as referenced in the story, the Business Journal has learned.
The undisclosed seller has instead bought a home in Florida.
