Historic Wayfarers Chapel Has Closed To The Public Citing 'Accelerated Land Movement'

In another sign of erosion issues facing our coastal communities, the historic Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes has closed its grounds, at least temporarily.

In a statement released Thursday, church officials said: "Effective immediately, we are extremely devastated to announce the closure of Wayfarers Chapel and its surrounding property due to the accelerated land movement in our local area."

The area has been grappling with increased land movement since 2018. Over the years at least 150 slides have been been documented in the region that’s home to multimillion-dollar homes and scenic trails.

The closure of the chapel and its grounds comes just two months after the property — long a tourist destination on the Palos Verdes Peninsula — was declared a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

Church officials say the cost of reopening may be prohibitive, and comes on top of the church's commitment to refunds any cancelled weddings. In a fundraising appeal, they note: "The cost is enormous, and the cost of repairing the Chapel to a degree where it can reopen is even greater."

How we got here

Wayfarers Chapel is a historic modernist glass church designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son, Lloyd Wright and built in the 1950s.

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View of the Pacific Ocean from gardens of Wayfarers Chapel, Palos Verdes.

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Rancho Palos Verdes city officials said in statement that they were informed on Wednesday — Valentine's Day — that the chapel's board of directors "made the voluntary decision to close the chapel and grounds to the public while repairs can be made."

Prior to that, city officials said they'd been in communication with the church leadership over deteriorating conditions on the property and had worked with Wayfarers on remediation efforts. Then, last week, Wayfarers officials asked for a city inspection. At that point, city inspectors found "damage and signs of movement were observed, no structures were yellow- or red-tagged."

About the chapel

The striking glass structure was designed by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, on about 3 1/2 acres of the Palos Verdes peninsula to mimic California's redwood trees.

It's been popular wedding location since it opened in 1951. Here's a description of the building from the Wayfarers Chapel website:

In naming the property a historic landmark, National Park officials cited its "high degree of historic integrity and is therefore able to illustrate its significance as an excellent and unique example of modern organic religious architecture designed by Lloyd Wright."

The summary of why the property was included also notes that Wayfarers Chapel made a splash when it first opened with coverage in "national and international newspapers and journals." Notably it was also "the only religious building included in the Museum of Modern Art’s 1953 exhibit, Built in USA: Post War Architecture."

What's next

Rancho Palos Verdes officials say the city "stands ready to support Wayfarers Chapel in any way possible to safely reopen this sacred space to the community."

A GoFundMe campaign has been established by the Chapel's Director of Ministry to fund restoration efforts. As of Tuesday, Feb. 20, the effort had raised just $18,000 of a $250,000 goal. According to the fundraising appeal any donations "will exclusively support activities to stabilize and restore the Chapel. This is an endeavor that will take years and must be done in stages."

Go here to find out more.