The first resident on record was in 1909, widow Elizabeth Hendrickson.  In 1912, for the buying price of $1,800, inspector Matthew Neil became the proud owner.  By 1914, the house was also home to Matthew's father, wife and son. In 1920, the home underwent it's first transformation, becoming the business office for several medical professionals, the first being Dr. Horace S. Woolston, a dentist. Casona served as residence for the the doctor's family and was one of the first homes to have a telephone, a Bell 242J, an innovative feature which may have appeared thanks to the doctor's son, Stephen, who was a telegraph operator. From 1931 to 1945, Dr. Harold Eynon practiced and lived in Casona, along with his wife, Sara. Dr. Alex Storer, one of the borough's most prominent physicians, practiced in the space from 1947 through the 1980s. The chain of family physicians' offices ended in February 2004, when Christopher Johnson sold the property to it's current owners.

Thus began the massive transformation of  563 Haddon Avenue.  Originally a 2 1/2 story builder's version of a Colonial Revival home, Casona was constructed on a 60 x 150 foot lot and featured a wrap-around porch.  At the prompting of Michele Infantado, the porch was resurrected according to its historical dimensions.   The original windows and wood siding were wonderfully preserved and the interior was gutted to its original mahoghany studs.  The porch roof  features a standing-seam metal roof, common to many Collingswood homes in the 1900s. 

But the new owners had more in mind than a restoration...

Casona, the little Havana in the heart of Collingswood, opened on April 8, 2006.  Featuring a menu ranging from traditional Cuban fare to Nouveau Latin cuisine, Casona is the home to truly innovative dishes such as mouth-watering vegetarian versions of traditional Cuban favorites as well as an in-house coffee bar and panaderia.  Our master chef, Carmelo Petit, has created a tantalizing menu that is sure to satisfy even the most discerning of Latin palates.