October 9, 2025

Wayfarers Chapel, a National Historic Landmark designed by the renowned architect Lloyd Wright, is taking a bold step toward the future while honoring its deeply rooted past. With its original glass chapel site impacted by a cataclysmic landslide and ongoing geological instability, the Chapel’s Board is working with our elected officials towards a new prospective location at Battery-Barnes in Rancho Palos Verdes—a site of profound military, ecological and cultural significance. It’s also surrounded by a Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy lush nature preserve that is home to the endangered Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis) native to our Peninsula.

Honoring Military Heritage

Perched above the Pacific and within view of the Point Vicente Lighthouse is a 4.6-acre swath called Battery-Barnes, a former World War II coastal defense installation and part of the region’s historic network of bunkers that safeguarded the Los Angeles coastline. This site embodies a critical chapter in the Peninsula’s military legacy—serving as a reminder of the resilience and service of those who once stood watch over these bluffs. The Wayfarers Chapel’s future vision will honor that history, preserving the bunker itself and remnants of the past through interpretive exhibits and a planned museum that highlights local labor, maritime and defense history.

Rebuilding a National Historic Landmark

Designed in 1949 by Lloyd Wright, son of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright and designer of the famed Hollywood Bowl, the Chapel is celebrated as one of only 2,600 structures in the country awarded a National Historic Landmark designation by the United States Secretary of the Interior. Its transparent glass-and-redwood architecture, inspired by the surrounding forest and sea, represents a harmony between human design and nature. The relocation to Battery-Barnes offers an opportunity to preserve that legacy—ensuring the Chapel’s architectural and spiritual significance endures for generations to come while expanding its mission to educate, inspire and connect community.

A Vision for the Future

The rebirth of Wayfarers Chapel at Battery-Barnes represents more than reconstruction—it is a rebirth of purpose. It stands as a living tribute to Southern California architectural ingenuity, military vigilance and environmental beauty. As a “church in the forest by the sea,” together the Chapel’s heritage and habitat will continue to serve as a beacon of peace, reflection and stewardship overlooking the Pacific.

For media inquiries, project updates, or additional information, please contact:

Stephanie Cartozian, Communications Director

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (310) 847-9330
Website: www.wayfarerschapel.org