Wayfarers Chapel
Historic church in California, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wayfarers Chapel, or "The Glass Church" is a chapel designed by Lloyd Wright that was located in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The chapel had unique organic architecture sited on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean. Affiliated with the Swedenborgian Church of North America, it served as a memorial to the 18th-century scientist and theosopher Emanuel Swedenborg. Originally constructed in 1949, the chapel was dismantled in 2024 and carefully stored due to extreme earth movement that made the site no longer suitable.
| Wayfarers Chapel | |
|---|---|
| "The Glass Church" | |
 | |
 | |
| Location | 5755 Palos Verdes Drive South Rancho Palos Verdes, California |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Swedenborgian |
| Website | wayfarerschapel.org |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | National Historic Landmark |
| Architect(s) | Lloyd Wright |
| Style | Modernist |
| Clergy | |
| Minister(s) | Rev. David Brown (Director of Ministry) |
Wayfarers Chapel | |
   | |
| Location | 5755 Palos Verdes Dr. S Rancho Palos Verdes, California |
| Coordinates | 33°44′37.1″N 118°22′39.9″W |
| Area | 3.528 acres (1.428 ha) |
| Built | 1951 |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000210 (NRHP listing), 100009801 (NHL designation) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 11, 2005 |
| Designated NHL | December 11, 2023 |
The 100-seat church was designed by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright) in the late 1940s and was built between 1949 and 1951, at a cost of $25,000.[1] Additions were built in later years, including a tower and a visitor center, the latter of which had been lost in a landslide during the 1960s.[2] Because of its scenic location, the church is popular for weddings.[3] In 1999, the chapel hosted 800 weddings.[1]
In February 2024, the chapel’s leadership announced "the closure of Wayfarers Chapel and its surrounding property due to the accelerated land movement in our local area".[4] The closure resulted in the cancellation of 175 events scheduled for the following eight months.[5] By April 2024, panes of glass in the chapel had broken, the foundation suffered significant damage, and walkways around the site were cracked and jagged. Officials said that they will not be able to restore the chapel on their property and are considering relocation.[6] In May, the decision was made to begin to carefully deconstruct the structure in order to preserve as much of the original materials as possible, in collaboration with historic preservation experts and the National Park Service.[7]
As with many of Wright's buildings, the chapel features geometric designs and incorporates the natural landscape into the design.[8] Wright departed from the tradition of using masonry in order to "achieve a delicate enclosure that allows the surrounding landscape to define the sacred space".[9] In the 1950s, the chapel featured a hanging garden.[1]
The Wayfarers Chapel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture and landscaping in 2023.[10][11]
The church was featured in the Fox teen drama television series The O.C., as the site of weddings and funerals. It was also featured briefly on the American science fiction television series Sliders,[12] and in an episode of The Rockford Files (season 2, episode 10, "2 Into 5.56 Won't Go"). In addition, the chapel was part of the final marriage scene in Innerspace, and two episodes in season four of 90210. The chapel was featured in one of the final scenes in the 2014 movie Endless Love, as well as being featured in the ABC television series Revenge. Clean Bandit's song Baby had its music video's wedding scene filmed at the chapel, and The Fox show, Lucifer. Pentatonix's video for the song Amazing Grace was filmed at the chapel.
Celebrities who were married at the church have included Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay (1958) as well as Brian Wilson and Melinda Ledbetter (1995).[1]
Entrance to the Wayfarers Chapel.
The chapel grounds feature fountains and gardens.
The Lord's Prayer on the altar and dais inside the Wayfarers Chapel.
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