Lloyd Wright's Landmark Wayfarer's Chapel Moved Due to Landslide
Wayfarer's Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes
Photo by Ryan Stavely
Seventy-five years ago, the congregation of the tiny Swedenborgian Church in Rancho Palos Verdes commissioned architect Lloyd Wright to design a magnificent house of worship on a spectacular site overlooking the Pacific. A few weeks ago, the last of its parts were packed up and sent into storage.
The Wayfarer’s Chapel, a National Historic Landmark beloved by millions of visitors over the decades, has been disassembled and put away indefinitely until sometime in the future when a plan to rebuild it can be implemented. Workers rushed into action following the declining landslide situation along the coast which seems to be getting worse every day.
Heavy rains last winter contributed to what had been a slow-moving landslide, pushing the land around a tiny bit each year. The situation escalated to the point where roads have been closed, utilities have been turned off and neighbors are panicked about the future of their transforming real estate. Some are staying behind and attempting to keep occupying homes powered with only ice, propane and hope.
The chapel, completed in 1951, was mostly made of glass, stone and wood, nestled in a man-made redwood forest. Congregants and Wright scholars joined a parade of wedding parties and special events that enjoyed the hugely popular venue. The designer's son Eric Lloyd Wright, contributed to the site after his father passed away in 1978.
Wayfarer's Chapel shortly after completion in 1951
Photo by Julius Shulman © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
On October 10, the California Preservation Foundation will host a free seminar “Documenting & Disassembling a National Historic Landmark: Hazard Response for the Wayfarers Chapel,” on Zoom. Katie Horak, Liz MacLean, and Evanne St. Charles of Architectural Resources Group, will explain the process of taking apart and the future rebuilding of the chapel. Godspeed to the folks trying to save this legendary L.A. landmark.
