Wayfarers Leadership Moves Forward with Next Phase of Disassembly

Rancho Palos Verdes — The first phase of the Wayfarers Chapel disassembly, as of July 17, is complete and the team has successfully salvaged the most vulnerable elements of the landmark chapel: redwood, steel, glass and roof tiles. 

Wayfarers Chapel and the surrounding grounds are now closed due to the momentum of local land movement, non-historic buildings on site have been removed, and the last remaining historic elements to be salvaged are the Palos Verdes stone walls of the chapel, other historic site elements such as the stone fountain, and the bell tower.

As the Portuguese Bend landslide accelerates at an unprecedented rate it is important to safely remove the bell tower as soon as possible. At roughly 80 feet high, and with the dangerous site conditions, it is not possible to carefully salvage the materials of the bell tower in the same way as the other chapel materials.

Scaffolding and large cranes cannot safely be used on site. Easily removable objects on the bell tower such as the cross, roof tiles, bells, interior spiral stair, and Palos Verdes stone that is reachable from grade will be salvaged and stored for reuse, and the tower itself will be removed.

According to Katie Horak, principal at Architectural Resources Group, “All possible options for salvaging the bell tower have been explored by the design team. Safety continues to be our number one priority, and given the circumstances of the land movement we continue to see on site, it is imperative that the bell tower is removed as soon as possible.”

The movement on the site to date has caused damage to every structure on the property and is increasingly seen in buckling concrete and separations in the earth. While it continues to be possible, the design team will document and salvage original Palos Verdes stone from the chapel’s foundation, low walls and other historic features such as the fountain and colonnade for future reuse. This work is ongoing now, and the construction team is expected to begin removing the bell tower July 19.

“It has been approximately one year since accelerated movement on chapel grounds caused greater visible damage to structures and hardscapes than ever before. Who could have imagined that within one year’s time the chapel would be deconstructed and all structures on the property would only be a memory? As difficult as this year has been, we have felt the support of our community and City and are strengthened in our resolve to rebuild,” says Dan Burchett, executive director, Wayfarers Chapel.