Crews Race to Deconstruct Historic Chapel Threatened by Land Movement

The plan is to disassemble Wayfarers Chapel, a popular wedding venue overlooking the Pacific, and either rebuild when the land settles or relocate.

Wayfarers Chapel's glass roof offers a view of the trees. "When you were in the chapel, you felt like you were outside,” said one parishioner. Above, the chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2024. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Heavy rainfall and unprecedented land movement in Ranchos Palos Verdes in California have marked an end to this chapter of the iconic Wayfarers Chapel, a popular wedding venue known for its glass walls, with immediate plans to deconstruct it before its expected collapse.

The chapel was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in December but was closed indefinitely just two months later on Feb. 15, over “accelerated” land movement, chapel leaders said at the time.