The South Bay landmark, Wayfarer Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, is noticing new damage to its property every day.
Typically, many people would be on the property, walking around and enjoying the gorgeous views. But as KNX News' Nataly Tavidian reports, people are being turned away as the picturesque location has been forced to shut down.
The shutdown, announced on their website, is less than a week old, but the mounting damage has been going on for years.
There are cracks in the foundation, the walls, and glass, and while they've been able to keep up with the repairs, it has become abundantly clear that the land movement causing the damage is speeding up.
Chapel Executive Director Dan Burchett told Tavidian that lately, the first thing he does when he comes to work is look around for new damage.
"We're all devastated by this, and we know brides and grooms, people who are to be married here are also devastated, and many people are scrambling trying to find a place. We have been contacted by several venues around us that are offering to take weddings, and so we're passing that information on to any couple who would like to consider their options," said Burchett.
They have refunded about 200 ceremonies, placing them all on hold.
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Burchett said they want to restore and reopen the chapel, but until they figure out what to do about the land movement, they can't spend any more money to repair things that will simply break again.
The 100-seat glass chapel opened in 1951 and in December of 2023, was awarded National Historic Landmark status.
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