Becomes First Historic Landmark on the Palos Verdes Peninsula & Closes Doors
Written by Cindy Donnelly
History
Opened in 1951, Wayfarers Chapel was commissioned by the Swedenborgian Church and was built on 3.5 acres of land donated by Narcissa Cox Vanderlip in what is now the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Architect Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the Chapel. Locals have known for decades that the beautiful Wayfarers Chapel or “glass church” is a special place. Wandering the gardens and admiring the amazing glass structure, or attending Sunday services or weddings inside the chapel, always brings a sense of wonder and an opportunity to feel connected to the natural beauty of the surroundings.
Becoming a Historic Landmark
On December 13, 2023, the Secretary of the Interior announced that the National Park Service (NPS) designated Wayfarers Chapel as a National Historic Landmark. It joins a list of only 149 other places in California that currently hold this distinction and there are just over 2,600 properties designated as National Historic Landmarks across the United States. It joins just a handful of other Los Angeles-area sites bestowed with this honor including the Rose Bowl and the L.A. Coliseum.
Palos Verdes residents that got married at this iconic chapel as well as some celebrity events: https://palosverdesmagazine.com/wayfarers-chapel-weddings/
“Pause for a moment, Wayfarer, on life’s journey, Let the beauty of holiness restore your soul. May the harmony of sky and water, leaf and rock, nourish the creation and growth of your inner being as you fare through this life and on into the life beyond.” -taken from the Wayfarer Chapel website
Wayfarers Chapel Closure
Wayfarers Chapel Photo Gallery
PV Magazine reached out to Dan Burchett, Executive Director of Wayfarers Chapel, to learn how this honor came about, and what it means to the Chapel. He explained that Reverend Dr. David Brown, senior minister for Sunday services, guided the five-year application process, managing all the necessary documentation as the application went through three major rounds of consideration before its ultimate approval. Dan recognizes that locals often associate Wayfarers Chapel with significant life journeys such as weddings, baptisms, and memorials but it is also a place of worship open to all. Dan feels this recent honor fits with the original goals set forth at the Chapel’s establishment over 70 years ago: “holding sacred the openness of the chapel and grounds to stop, rest and reflect, removed from the stresses of life to allow a spiritual experience.” He emphasizes they have always welcomed the wayfarer stopping along their journey, no membership or status is required, and the chapel has “open doors to everyone, people of all faiths or no faith, to explore the relationship to the eternal in a beautiful, natural setting.” PV Magazine congratulates the Wayfarers Chapel as the Peninsula celebrates being home to a National Historic Landmark. The chapel is open to the public between services. For more information you can visit their website at www.wayfarerschapel.org
According to the NPS website: National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture. Many of the most renowned historic properties in the nation are Landmarks. Mount Vernon, Pearl Harbor, the Apollo Mission Control Center, Alcatraz, and Martin Luther King’s Birthplace are Landmarks that illustrate important contributions to the nation’s historical development.
