The Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club: Montecito’s Icon of Coastal Glamour
There are few places on the California coast where architecture, landscape, and lifestyle converge as effortlessly as they do at the Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club. Perched above Butterfly Beach, glowing white against the Pacific, the Coral Casino is one of Montecito’s most enduring symbols of elegance — a place where mornings begin with laps in the historic pool and evenings end under sherbet-colored sunsets.
And while its silhouette is instantly recognizable, the Coral Casino is far more than a private club. It’s a story of architectural innovation, Hollywood glamour, coastal leisure, and the kind of California living that feels both timeless and beautifully cinematic.
An Art Deco Masterpiece
Designed in 1937 by architect Gardner A. Dailey, the Coral Casino was envisioned as a modern seaside retreat — a streamlined, sun-drenched escape aligned with the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne sensibilities of its time.
Clean lines, light-filled interiors, and an emphasis on horizontality echoed the very landscape it overlooked: ocean, horizon, sky.
With its iconic pool, open-air terraces, and gleaming stucco walls, the Coral Casino quickly became a gathering place for Montecito’s social set and Hollywood’s coastal escapees. From the beginning, it embodied the relaxed sophistication that still defines the Central Coast today.
A Thoughtful Restoration for a New Era
By the early 2000s, the club needed significant restoration — not reinvention.
In 2007–2008, the Coral Casino underwent a meticulous renovation led by renowned designer Peter Marino, with Barry Winick serving as local architect of record. Their vision honored the original 1937 architecture while elevating the club for contemporary life.
The restoration introduced:
A refined, serene materials palette
Updated dining and lounge spaces
Thoughtful enhancements to the pool deck
Architectural details that preserved the club’s historic spirit
Today, the Coral Casino feels both glamorous and deeply comfortable — the rare kind of luxury born from restraint and respect for place.
Where Architecture Meets Lifestyle
Most locals associate the Coral Casino with a feeling long before they think of its architectural details — morning swims, coffee on the terrace, weekend lunches with ocean glittering below.
But the building creates those feelings by design.
Light, always
Full-height glazing, terraces, and ocean-facing rooms blur the boundaries between indoors and out.
Flow
Circulation moves easily from the lobby to the pool deck to the cabanas, encouraging long afternoons with nowhere to rush.
Texture
Whitewashed stucco, stainless steel accents, teak details, and the iconic blue pool tiles ground the club in its 1930s roots while evoking a distinctly coastal California feel.
The Coral Casino is less a building than a rhythm — sunrise, swim, sun-warmed stone, the hush of waves — a choreography that embodies the Montecito lifestyle.
A Social and Cultural Landmark
For nearly a century, the Coral Casino has been:
A symbol of coastal leisure
A meeting place for generations of members
A backdrop for weddings, film shoots, and sunset dinners
A living piece of Santa Barbara’s architectural and social history
Its position above Butterfly Beach — one of the most beloved stretches of coastline on the Central Coast — adds an almost theatrical quality to its daily life. Sunsets here feel like rituals.
Design Details to Appreciate
Whether you’re a member or simply an admirer of California design, these features define the Coral Casino experience:
The historic Olympic-length pool, sparkling like a jewel
The pool is technically 50 meters +1 foot. Legend has it that the decision was made over a gentleman’s poker game — ensuring that it would never be used for Olympic events.
The glass-enclosed dining terrace overlooking the Pacific
The streamlined staircases and metalwork typical of 1930s modernism
Terraces designed for ocean breezes and long, lingering afternoons
A palette that shifts beautifully with the sun: bone white, sea blue, warm sand
Why It Matters to Montecito Valley
At Montecito Valley, we love the Coral Casino because it represents everything we value in design: place-based architecture, thoughtful restoration, and a lifestyle rooted in beauty and ease.
It reminds us that California architecture is at its best when it honors the climate, the coastline, and the simple pleasures of daily life.
The Coral Casino isn’t just an architectural landmark — it’s a reminder that good design can shape the way we live, breathe, gather, and move through the world.
From morning swims to golden-hour dinners, it offers a glimpse of Montecito at its most cinematic.
Explore Homes Near Butterfly Beach
If the Coral Casino’s blend of architecture, light, and coastal luxury speaks to you, we’d love to help you find a home that captures the same feeling.
Explore Montecito homes near Butterfly Beach, or contact us to begin your Central Coast home search.
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