Wayfarers Chapel, Iconic ‘Glass Church’ on shaky ground

Los Angeles’ most Instagrammable chapel, a midcentury modern structure with redwoods, an ocean view and a long history as a popular wedding venue, has closed indefinitely. After recent storms, Wayfarers Chapel announced that land movement in the area had increased.

Just months after the Rancho Palos Verdes church was named a National Historic Landmark, the venue was forced to shut its doors.

“Effective immediately,” a statement read, “we are extremely devastated to announce the closure of Wayfarers Chapel and its surrounding property due to the accelerated land movement in our local area.”

The statement said those with reservations would receive refunds.

The Rev. David Brown told The Times in December that more than 300,000 people visited the chapel the previous year, and about 400 couples were married there, a dip from pre-pandemic levels.

Celebrity nuptials have included Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay in 1958 and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and Melinda Ledbetter in 1995. Four years after the Wilson-Ledbetter nuptials, the chapel hosted 800 weddings.

“Visitors have told me they remember watching Jayne Mansfield getting carried to the limo,” Brown said.

The 100-seat chapel, known to many visitors as “the Glass Church” for its glass walls and ceiling, was designed by Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was completed in 1951.

The chapel sits on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, which has long been prone to landslides. The structure overlooks Abalone Cove, a landslide complex. Land movement has affected the area in recent decades, causing fissures in the earth and structures to buckle and drift.

The chapel had to remove its original visitors center due to land movement. The new center was designed by Lloyd Wright’s son Eric Lloyd Wright.

Wayfarers Chapel is set among trees on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where it overlooks Abalone Cove, a landslide complex.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The Rev. Dan Burchett told KTLA-TV on Thursday that there had been cracks in the structure. “We’ve had seven panes of glass break [since] July,” he said.

In a statement, the city of Rancho Palos Verdes said that the chapel had been in contact about recent land movement over several months, ultimately requesting an inspection last week.

“While damage and signs of movement were observed, no structures were yellow- or red-tagged,” the statement said, adding that the decision to close was voluntary and made by the chapel.

Times staff writer Lisa Boone contributed to this report.