Famed LA chapel closes due to damages

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. - The landmark Wayfarers Chapel, as well as its surrounding property, has been closed "due to the accelerated land movement in our local area," the Rancho Palos Verdes chapel announced, and it is unclear Friday when it will reopen.

There is no public access to the premises, the church announced.

"We are extremely devastated" at having to announce the closing, the church said on its website.

The chapel is a popular wedding venue. Couples with confirmed reservations will be issued refunds and will soon be contacted by the chapel's Weddings and Events Office, the church said.

"The beautiful, terraced hills of Palos Verdes have experienced shifting land for millennia," according to the chapel's website. "In 2023 there has been an increase of land movement in the Abalone Cove area surrounding Wayfarers Chapel. Accordingly, the grounds of Wayfarers Chapel are open to visitors but the chapel building itself is only open for scheduled services."

But recent storms have accelerated the movement, with homeowners in January reporting noticeable damage, according to KCAL.

The 100-seat, glass chapel opened in 1951 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2023.

The natural sanctuary made of Palos Verdes stone, redwood, and glass was designed by architect Lloyd Wright, a son of the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, as a tree chapel that helps people feel a connection to God and nature, according to the chapel's website.

The chapel is described as "an ecumenical ministry of the Swedenborgian Church and the national memorial to Emanuel Swedenborg," the 18th-century scientist and theosopher.