Tower Restoration Project
The tower was constructed as a “hallelujah,” lifting the cross on high. As you notice, it has wings and a sense of soaring. The wayfarer comes into the grove area, and here is a stele pointing to heaven with the cross mounted on it. The foot of the tower became the pastor’s study. I wanted to take the tower away from the sanctuary so that it could become free to space. The stones were tied together with metal rods grouted in solid so it could become a monolithic, steel-reinforced concrete structure with a natural face of stone from the environment. -Lloyd Wright
The Wayfarers Chapel is listed on the
National Registry of Historic Places
The tower is a welcoming landmark to travelers both by land and by sea. Floodlit at night sailors passing through the Catalina Channel dubbed it “God’s Candle.”
The Tower, along with berm planter walls, sidewalks and the Reflection Pool were constructed beginning in January and completed in December, 1954. The I.T. Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio installed the 16-bell carillon in 1978, and it rang for the first time on Christmas Eve that year. But by 1997 the bells and the activating machinery had so deteriorated that they were augmented in May of that year by an electronic chime with a speaker in the tower. And at present, several blue terracotta roof tiles are missing and the cross needs new gold paint.
The restoration project has been in the planning stages for nearly ten years. The community has responded magnificently over the last two years to a fundraising campaign that has generated over $25,000. Now the project begins. The contractor is Bologna Construction Company of San Pedro, who also constructed the Visitors Center in 2001, and will start on Monday, October 19. It will take about three weeks. The Chapel and grounds will be open during construction. No work will be done on the weekends since it would interfere with weddings, baptisms and the Sunday worship service.
Scaffolding will be erected to encase the entire tower to the top of the cross. To meet OSHA standards, the scaffolding will be bolted to the tower to form a very solid work platform. The 8” X 10” tube steel cross will be sanded, primed, several coats of gold paint applied, and finally a sealer to protect the paint from the elements. The blue roof tiles will be cleaned and missing tiles replaced. Wood in the triangular tower rooftop will be painted. Electrical conduit and fixtures that illuminate the bells and cross will be replaced. The 16 bronze bells will be cleaned. Finally, the scaffolding will be removed.
The carillon is scheduled for renovation in the spring; with the bells being serviced and new activation equipment installed. The electronic bell system will be removed. A beautifully restored “Hallelujah” Tower will welcome thousands of visitors and ringing bells will greet wayfarers from across the country and the world.
You are invited to be part of this exciting project. You may send your tax-deductible contribution to:
The Wayfarers Chapel
5755 Palos Verdes Drive South
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
For further information please contact:
Rev. Harvey Tafel
Chapel Administrator
310-377-1650 X 206
