Wayfarer Chapel Plans Revealed By Writer and Contributor Emily McGinn
Exactly 73 years after Wayfarers Chapel opened its doors, city and chapel leaders unveiled their new plan to save the historic chapel, which has been closed to the public since February as a result of rapid land movement in the area.
Over the past several months, the chapel area has seen unprecedented land movement, reaching up to seven inches per week, according to GPS surveys by the city of Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV).
The extreme land movement has had a visible effect on the chapel grounds, leading to torn-up sidewalks and cracked cement and parking areas. It has broken and shattered the glass that makes up the body of the chapel, leaving it too dangerous for people to go inside. The administration office on the chapel property has also been red-tagged.
“We are just devastated with the reality that we are dealing with,” said Dan Burchett, the executive director of Wayfarers Chapel at a press conference on May 13. “The Board of Directors that comes from a variety of places in California and also the United States has been working feverishly to do all we can to preserve the chapel during the ongoing changing dynamic that is happening basically nonstop day by day. Things have changed drastically.”
Wayfarers Chapel is being affected by the Portuguese Bend landslide. Although it has existed for thousands of years, the landslide was not reactivated until 1956 and has been relatively stable since then. However, the heavy rains in recent seasons have exacerbated the landslide and have made it now the fastest and largest active landslide complex in North America.
In a rush to save the chapel from irreparable harm, Burchett is working with the city of RPV as well as the Architectural Resources Group (ARG), an architecture and planning firm that specializes in historic buildings, to safely dismantle the chapel within the next four weeks. This will consist of disassembling the glass and wood frames of the chapel and transporting them to a safe site, likely on city property.
The pieces of the chapel will be stored until the chapel board and the city decide on next steps. Burchett said the goal is to reconstruct the chapel on the same site once they find a way to manage the land movement. However, if this is not possible, they will search for another location, ideally one still within RPV.
Once the chapel is dismantled, crews will focus on potentially salvaging other beloved aspects of the property such as the PV stone and finding ways to limit land movement and stabilize the site.
One potential solution is to install devices that will extract some of the groundwater that helps fuel the landslide, said Rancho Palos Verdes mayor John Cruikshank. Although land movement is inevitable, the city is focusing on remediation efforts to significantly slow the land movement.
“Wayfarers Chapel has been an iconic symbol of Rancho Palos Verdes,” said Ara Mihranian, the city manager for RPV. “The fact that the mayor and myself were asked to be here and are standing before you — it is a testament to how committed the city is to work with Wayfarers Chapel to preserve its history and to make sure that even though it's going to be dismantled, that we're going to work with the Board of Directors of the chapel to make sure that it can be preserved, the material saved and preserved properly, and that they can be able to rebuild.”
Once the chapel is dismantled, the ARG and other organizations involved in the preservation and construction process will undergo efforts to replace the broken glass and ensure that the chapel retains its initial form. It is especially important for the chapel to stay true to the original design of Lloyd Wright after the chapel attained National Historic Landmark status in December.
Wayfarers Chapel has a long road to reconstruction. The priority for the team as of now is to successfully dismantle the chapel so that the pieces can be preserved. They plan to document the process with a 3D digital model and photographs so that the chapel can be accurately reassembled in the future.
However, it will likely be years before the chapel is standing again — and it will be expensive. Currently, the chapel does not qualify for government funding, so it is relying on fundraising to foot the costs of disassembly and reconstruction. It is expected that the deconstruction alone will cost between $300,000 and $500,000 and the reconstruction is expected to cost $20 million, according to an official report from Wayfarers Chapel. As of now, the chapel has $5 million in saved funds as well as about $70,000 from a GoFundMe fundraiser. The chapel is hoping the community will be willing to contribute to the efforts to restore the iconic site so that reconstruction is possible.
“We are committed to preserving our iconic chapel exactly as it has always been,” Burchett said. “We’ve never varied from that commitment.”
Emily McGinn: A Dedicated Journalist
Fueled by passion and curiosity, Emily McGinn is a fervent journalist whose heart beats for truth and creativity. As a graduate of California Baptist University, Emily’s academic voyage is adorned with rich interests in environmental science, political science, and graphic design. Her portfolio is a mosaic of hard work and dedication, evidenced by a repertoire of content that stands as a testament to her journalistic commitment and academic pursuits.
Emily doesn’t just chase stories; she seeks the truth with a thoughtful blend of accuracy, respect, and diligence. Her journalism transcends mere reporting, reflecting a meticulous effort to maintain integrity and excellence in every piece. Inspired by a profound respect for her craft, Emily is unafraid to push boundaries, perpetually aiming to enhance the quality of her work.
Experimentation and innovation light up Emily’s journey, especially in the realm of design. With an artistic flair, she loves exploring the vibrant intersections of journalism and graphic design, continuously experimenting to breathe visual life into stories and publications.
In Emily's world, journalism is not merely a career choice, but a calling—a space where passion meets purpose, and stories are crafted with care and conscience. In the garden of journalism, she continues to cultivate a bouquet of skills and experiences that resonate with her dedication to truth, creativity, and excellence.
