RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) 鈥� A decades-old landslide that鈥檚 rapidly accelerating has forced the dismantling of Wayfarers Chapel, an iconic Southern California church that was designed by one of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s sons and built among soaring redwoods and sweeping Pacific Ocean views.
The earth beneath the chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes is moving an unprecedented 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more each month. Intended to celebrate the natural world, the chapel is instead being destroyed by it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 actually dangerous to even walk on the grounds now because everything is breaking,鈥� the Rev. Dan Burchett, the chapel鈥檚 executive director, told The Associated Press on Thursday. 鈥淣ature, in one sense, is showing her power.鈥�
The chapel was designed by the son, known as Lloyd Wright, who also worked on the Hollywood Bowl in 1927. 鈥淭he Glass Church鈥� and its grounds opened to the public in 1951 and epitomizes 鈥渙rganic architecture鈥� that seeks to put buildings in harmony with the nature around them.
鈥淭he transparency of the glass would usher you into a place of nature that the structure would disappear in,鈥� said Burchett, who has also been a chapel officiant since 2000.
An attractive location for movies and weddings, the cliffside spot on the Palos Verdes Peninsula has also contributed to its downfall. The chapel was designated as a National Historic Landmark in December 2023 but closed just two months later, according to the chapel鈥檚 website, from the worsening effects of the 1956 Portuguese Bend landslide, part of a larger ancient landslide complex in the area.
The damage includes a long crack in the 1949 cornerstone, a buckling asphalt parking lot and fractured 15-foot- (4.6-meter-) tall glass panels, as well as torqued metal framing in the chapel’s ceiling and walls.
Crews raced to disassemble the chapel this week so the original materials 鈥� many of which cannot be replicated 鈥� can be preserved and used to rebuild, either at the current site if it can be stabilized or somewhere else nearby.
Reconstruction is expected to take four years and cost at least $20 million 鈥� a price tag that does not include a new plot of land in a very expensive area. The church had started raising money toward a $10 million restoration slated for 2025, but has been forced to pivot and double its efforts.
鈥淭hese are hard days; these are days to grieve, no doubt,鈥� Burchett said. 鈥淏ut we will celebrate again, we are sure of that.鈥�
Part of the Swedenborgian denomination, the church’s followers share in 18th century Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg鈥檚 鈥渜uest for a religion that interconnects all of life, and for a system that allows reasoned questioning of life鈥檚 deepest religious issues,鈥� the chapel’s website says.
The chapel also served as a national monument to Swedenborg, and hosted regular worship services for wayfarers 鈥� 鈥渁ll who come, no matter their faith or status鈥� 鈥� until the landslide forced them to relocate to a nearby Episcopal church earlier this year.
鈥淲e don’t exclude anyone, even if the person says they’re an atheist and they don’t believe in God but they want to join with nature and have some spiritual experience, they are welcome to do that with the chapel,” Burchett said.
Some 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Hollywood, the chapel has been featured in movies, TV shows and music videos, such as 鈥淏everly Hills 90210,鈥� “The O.C.,” 鈥淭rue Detective鈥� and 1987 sci-fi comedy 鈥淚nnerspace.鈥�
It’s also hosted many real-life celebrity weddings. Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys founder who composed hit song 鈥淕ood Vibrations,鈥� married , there in 1995.
鈥淭he vibrations in that chapel were so wonderful,鈥� Wilson reportedly said.
Nancy and Randy Erwin exchanged their vows there in 1987. Now they live in Oregon but visited Southern California family this week. They stopped Thursday for one last look on their way back north.
鈥淚t’s a landmark in our lives,鈥� Randy Erwin said.
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