Wayfarers Chapel

Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes was designed by Lloyd Wright, the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, in the late 1940s. Construction was begun in 1949 and completed in 1951 on the glass-walled chapel for the Swedenborgian Church. Their theology is partly based on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and eighteenth-century philosopher, theologian, and scientist. Wright also designed a bell tower, gardens, and a colonnade for the site. In 2005, Wayfarers Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places, including the bell tower and colonnade. The scenic chapel complex has been the backdrop for many real and filmed ceremonies, including the T.V. series The O.C. and the movie Endless Love. The chapel complex is open daily for meditation and self-guided walks; the chapel is open unless a ceremony is taking place.

The Wayfarers Chapel complex was constructed on a rocky, wooded knoll overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Abalone Cove. The 3.5-acre tract was donated by a member of the Los Angeles Swedenborgian Church, Narcissa Cox Vanderlip. The concept was to have a church where people passing by were welcome to meditate and pray, as well as a site for Swedenborgian Church services. Plans were first drawn up by architect Paul Jester, but construction was delayed for years due to the Great Depression and World War II. Jester suggested that new plans be submitted by another architect, "Lloyd" Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., 1890-1978).

Like his famous father, Frank Lloyd Wright Sr., Lloyd Wright's design for the chapel used "organic architecture", an integration of structures with the natural landscape, where nature was the best example of integrating form and function. His methods were in line with teachings of the Swedenborgian Church which urged harmony of the inner spirit and mind with God's natural world. Wright's design was chosen unanimously. The cornerstone was laid in July 1949 by the president of the national Swedenborgian denomination, Rev. Dr. Leonard I. Tafel. Wayfarers Chapel also serves as a memorial to the eighteenth-century philosopher, theologian, and scientist Emanuel Swedenborg. The Protestant-based faith is based in part on thirty volumes that Swedenborg wrote and on the Christian Bible. The church began in London, England in 1787 and came to America in 1792. It is also known as the General Convention of the New Jerusalem in the U.S.A.

The site was amidst a redwood forest in the 1940s. The chapel's foundation was created of local Palos Verdes stone, while the walls were of colorless glass framed in local redwood or steel; blue terra cotta tiles and clear glass formed the roof. Lloyd employed 30- and 60-degree angles that mimicked those found in nature in snowflakes, crystals, and tree branches. When the chapel was dedicated in May 1951, it was the lone structure on the site. Lloyd Wright went on to design other structures and gardens for the property, including a stone bell tower, a grassy amphitheater, and a colonnade with a view of the ocean. The chapel is surrounded by redwoods and pine trees; the gardens feature roses and types of plants mentioned in the Bible. The original visitors center, from 1958, was damaged in a landslide and had to be demolished in 1995. Lloyd's son, Eric Lloyd Wright, designed a new visitors center for the site, near the parking lot, dedicated in 2001 when the chapel turned fifty years old.

In 1956, Wayfarers Chapel was chosen by an architectural churches national group as one of the eighteen most excellent church designs in America. A memorial service was held here in 1978 upon the death of its designer, Lloyd Wright. Eric remained associated with Wayfarers Chapel and completed a long-range landscape plan for the site in 2004. While the chapel has no congregation of its own, it continues to be the site of Sunday church services and special ceremonies, as well as being the backdrop for television and movie scenes.

Swedenborgian Church. Chapel History, Wayfarers Chapel. January 1st, 2023. Accessed June 27th, 2023. https://www.wayfarerschapel.org/about/history/.

Tafel, Reverend Harvey A. NRHP nomination of Wayfarers Chapel, Rancho Palos Verdes, California. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 2004.