Michele StuevenHotel Casa del Mar, the historic Santa Monica building that originally opened in 1926 as Club Casa del Mar, celebrates its centennial this year with activations, partnerships, and throwbacks to the 1926 beach club.
Designed by Los Angeles architect Charles F. Plummer with arched loggias, a red tile roof, and pale stucco walls, Club Casa del Mar opened in May 1926 as a luxe private beach club with membership by invitation only. The guest list included golden-era stars like Clara Bow, Marilyn Monroe, and Charlie Chaplin, chauffeured in Packards to dance beneath coffered ceilings and dine overlooking the Pacific.
It fell into disrepair over the years. From 1968 to 1985, it was home to the controversial Synanon rehab facility, and afterward to the Pritikin wellness center. At the turn of the century, it underwent an extensive renovation, returning to its original glory, and the building is turning heads once again.
When third-generation hoteliers Thomas and Edward Slatkin of the Edward Thomas Collection reopened the property as a hotel in 1999, their ambition was not to recreate the past but to revive its original character.
Casa Del Mar Entry in Santa Monica
Now, throughout 2026, Casa del Mar’s centennial programming invites both hotel guests and the local community to step back in time while enjoying modern interpretations of classic flavors, style, and celebration.
In January, the hotel launched a specialty Prohibition-themed cocktail menu, a nod to the hotel’s early years, available throughout the entire year at Terrazza and the hotel’s lively Lobby Lounge.
Macallan Flights and Bites will be available from March through June, offering tastings, and in summer, there will be a 1920s-inspired Macallan prix fixe menu through September.
Other specials include the original famed Brown Derby Cobb salad offered at Terrazza for lunch in April, the debut of a new Bubbles and Pearls champagne and caviar pairing in May, and a seasonal San Marzano Tomato Pizza special at Patio del Mar, celebrating summer on the coast in July. The Centennial Memory Walls feature archival images from the property’s early days as Club Casa del Mar in the 1920s and offer a visual journey through a century of seaside history.
Courtesy Casa Del Mar