Richard Nixon's seaside home turns 100; owners now fight to keep developers away

La Casa Pacifica, Richard Nixon’s former seaside retreat in San Clemente, California, has reached its centenary with its future still tied to a question that has followed the property for decades: can its historic character survive the pressure of development? Built in 1926, the Spanish-Colonial Revival home became Nixon’s “Western White House” after he and his wife Pat purchased it in 1969. A century after its construction, its current owners are now openly stressing the need to protect the site from development and preserve the grounds that witnessed major moments in American history.The 1926 house became Nixon’s Western White HouseLa Casa Pacifica was built in 1926 by H.H. Cotton, one of San Clemente’s founders. The Spanish-Colonial Revival property remained with the Cotton family until Richard and Pat Nixon purchased it in 1969. It soon became much more than a private coastal residence.